Firefly
by AngelsWind
Summary: Hotaru Takenaka has been together with Yamaguchi and Tsukishima for as long as she can remember. They have been an inseparable trio ever since elementary school and now that they've entered high school that hasn't changed. Can things remain as they've always been or will feelings begin to change?
1. Chapter 1: Mountain, Bamboo, and Moon

Chapter 1: The Mountain, Bamboo, and the Moon

"Your face is so weird! Look at those freckles, they look like pimples!" A taller boy laughed as he pushed a young Yamaguchi down. The other boys in their group proceeded to throw their backpacks down towards the fallen boy, "You're on backpack duty today like always, so-"

"Heeey!" Everyone's head shot up and saw a girl running towards them at full speed. She pushed one of the boys down and stood over the fallen Yamaguchi, "You bullies leave Tadachi alone!"

"Ho-Hotaru-chan!"

The small girl then proceeded to swing her backpack in front of her to ward off the bigger boys away from her friend. The bigger boys looked at each other and laughed, "You're so pa-"

"Pathetic." Everyone turned to look towards the direction the cold voice came from. A top the hill was a tall, blonde boy with cold, cold eyes. The bullies began to panic, thinking he was older than them. They grabbed their bags off the ground and hurried away. Hotaru and Yamaguchi looked up at the stoic boy and smiled.

* * *

"Obaa-chan, we'll be heading out now!" Hotaru yelled from the doorway with her little brother next to her. A few years have passed since the incident with the bullies and not much has changed. Hotaru's hair has grown down past her waist but her emerald eyes still shined with the same innocence as they did back then. She held her little brother's hand as they walked down the steps away from the shrine their grandparents managed.

Two young boys waited at the foot of the steps and waved as the two made their descent, "Sasori hurry up!" Hotaru's little brother, Sasori, looked up to his older sister who merely nodded and let go of his hand. She watched as the little boy happily made his way towards his friends and they left her sight as they ran towards the elementary school. Hotaru began to make her way towards Karasuno high school as did many other students.

Hotaru perked her head up a bit and saw the backs of two familiar boys. She smiled and rushed up to them, "Tadachi~ Tsukki~!" She called out.

Yamaguchi's face lit up as he waved to his dear friend, "Hotaru! Hurry up!"

Hotaru caught up to the two very tall boys and smiled up at them, "Good morning you two, how was your weekend? You both weren't answering the group text very much."

"We played a match against the other two freshmen that joined the volleyball club." Yamaguchi pointed to his athletic bag, "We also got our volleyball team jerseys!"

Hotaru's eyes lit up, "Really?! That's so cool!"

Tsukishima's face went from his usual stoic expression to an all-out frown, "I hate it when you get excited, that usually means…" Hotaru rummaged through her bag, pulled out a camera, and smiled at the two boys. Tsukishima sighed, "You'll want to take a stupid and embarrassing picture."

Hotaru skipped a few feet away from the two, "Take out your jerseys and put them on you two!" She ordered as she began to get her camera into focus.

"We're out in public and right before the start of school, you don't think you can do this at a more convenient time, Takenaka?"

Hotaru shook her head at the giant of a boy, "No time like the present. Now hurry up or else we'll be late for homeroom." Tsukishima's eye twitched at his inability to persuade the tiny girl as Yamaguchi tried to calm the tension between the two, "Calm down, Tsukki. It's just a real quick picture." He said as he took his volleyball jersey out. Years of friendship has taught Yamaguchi that there was no stopping the girl if she had already made up her mind.

Tsukishima sighed and took his jersey out as well. Years of friendship has taught him that it's easier to just go with the flow when it came to these two idiots. He reluctantly put on his jacket and looked away from the camera as Yamaguchi smiled and threw up the infamous peace sign.

Hotaru smiled. Pictures were always like this.

Yamaguchi smiling.

Tsukishima wishing he was somewhere else.

Hotaru took the picture and smiled at the outcome, "Now…" She bounded towards the two boys, brought Yamaguchi closer and made Tsukishima bend down to an awkward and uncomfortable height, much to both of their surprise, "One more~." She sang and took a selfie with the two of them. She looked at the result and smiled, "Perfect as always."

Tsukishima flicked her forehead, "You need to stop doing that. Especially in public. It's annoying." He said and walked ahead of them.

Hotaru laughed as she rubbed the small red spot on her forehead, "You think you would get used to it by now, Tsukki…"

Yamaguchi packed his jersey back into his bag and slung is over his shoulder, "You know how Tsukki is. I don't think he'll ever get used to taking pictures."

Hotaru pouted as she quickly looked through the old pictures in her camera, "Tsukki isn't smiling in any of these. Most of them he's not even looking at the camera." Her pout disappeared once she found a picture of Yamaguchi and Tsukishima playing video games with her little brother. She sighed and gave a slight smile, "Well it's not a smile…. But at least it's not a frown." Hotaru looked up and saw that the two boys were already far ahead of her. She packed up her camera and ran to catch up to the two.

* * *

Once the trio entered the school grounds, they were immediately greeted with a chorus of "Good morning Nadeshiko-oujosama" and "Looking as stunning as ever, Nadeshiko-oujosama!" Tsukishima frowned as they walked through the crowd of fawning teenage boys, "Why is it like this every morning? If I had known it'd be the exact same as middle school I would have chosen to go to a different high school."

Within the short amount of time that school has been in session, Takenaka Hotaru's reputation spread throughout the entire school, even up to the third years. Ever since elementary school Hotaru has been what is known as a _yamato nadeshiko_. In short: she was the perfect wife. She was short and petite with long, black, undyed hair. Her green eyes shone with the innocence that was hard to find in a high school girl in this day and age. She was polite, smart, modest, kind to everyone, and her smile could rival that of the stars in the sky. Just as her name _Hotaru_ suggests, she can light up the night just by her presence.

Tsukishima, on the other hand, can make a blooming flower wilt just by his glare. He kept this same glare present as the trio made their way to the classroom, warding off any of the young men who thought they could get a chance to talk to Hotaru. Yamaguchi chuckled, "Tsukki, you can't start off every day at school with that same facial expression."

"Tch. As long as that idiot keeps attracting attention we can never have a quiet walk to school. It's troublesome and annoying." He said as he took his seat.

Hotaru turned around and faced Tsukishima who sat right behind her, "I don't understand what this 'attention' is you speak of. Isn't it normal to say good morning to your schoolmates?"

Yamaguchi and Tsukishima looked at her, frowns making their way on their faces, "It's nothing you need to worry about…."

The homeroom teacher entered the classroom and ushered everyone to get to their seats, "It's around that time that we need to assign the class representative." She looked up at the class with dull eyes, "Are there any volunteers?"

None.

She sighed, "Is there anyone who would like to nominate someone?"

Tsukishima reached forward and flicked Hotaru on the back of her head, "Why don't you do it, Takenaka. You weren't planning on joining any clubs right?" He said with a devious smirk.

The teacher looked towards the two, "Oh did I hear that right? Takenaka are you willing to do it?"

"E-Eh?! Me?" Hotaru stuttered out frantically. She turned around and pouted towards Tsukishima who merely widened his smirk. He knew she wasn't good with public speaking and having everyone depend on her stressed her out. Hotaru turned back around, "Th-Then I nominate Tsukishima!"

Tsukishima nearly fell out of his seat, but quickly regained his posture, reached forward and grabbed the back of Hotaru's collar and brought her back a bit, "What do you think y-"

The teacher frowned, "Well we have two nominations out, so I suppose it's up to the class to decide."

Everyone turned to the two. On one hand they have sweet and little Takenaka Hotaru, the princess of Karasuno High school. On the other hand they have the tall and menacing Tsukishima Kei. Which one did they want as the face of the class? The class turned to face the teacher and with a unanimous, "Takenaka-oujosama" Hotaru was elected as class representative. Yamaguchi turned around to look at his two best friends. He saw Tsukishima sitting there with a triumphant smirk as Hotaru sat there trying to hold in her tears.

* * *

**About the OC  
****Name:** Takenaka Hotaru (竹中 蛍)  
[Note] The kanji for her name and Tsukishima's name is the same, but pronounced differently  
[Note] Her name means "Firefly within the bamboo"  
**Birthday:** December 24  
**Height:** 150cm  
**Weight:** 43kg  
**Favorite Food:** Dorayaki (Red Bean Pancake)  
**Current Concern:** Making sure she doesn't mess up being class representative

* * *

**_[[Aero's Afterth__ought__]]_**  
So I'm literally coming out of a 4~5year rut. Ahahaha I'm so old now. orz  
When I used to write more my chapters were always super long, this is actually only about half (a third?) of what chapter one was supposed to be, but tell me what y'all think. If it's too short I'll make my chapters long or if it's just right I'll continue with about this length.  
Also, I typically follow the story line when it comes to these things, but I was debating whether or not I wanted to go full out shoujo manga with Tsukishima or not. Tell me what y'all think / would like to read!

Like I said, I'm coming out of a rut so please review or message me!

よろしくお願いします！


	2. Chapter 2: A Rabbit and a Lion

Chapter 2: A Rabbit and a Lion

After school Tsukishima and Yamaguchi headed off to the gym for their after school practice as Hotaru nervously made her way to the first class representative meeting. She fiddled with the hem of her sweater as she stood outside the classroom, _'You'll be okay Hotaru. You'll be okay. You're just class representative. It's not like you're the face of the entire school. You're just the face of… the entire…. Class…' _Sweat began to form on her face.

"Are you alright?"

Hotaru jumped in surprise and turned to face a female student. She had short, pin straight, brown hair that barely touched the top of her shoulders and brown eyes hidden behind the lens of pink, thick rimmed glasses that perfectly sat at the tip of her nose. Hotaru bowed repeatedly, "Yes I'm fine I'm sorry for being in your way do you need to get inside the classroom I'm already messing up this class representative thing oh goodness why was I elected I ca-"

"Take it easy." The other girl placed a hand on Hotaru's shoulder, "Being class representative is a big honor. It means your classmates trust you to keep everything in order and be the middle man to the teachers." She smiled, "Plus I'm sure they believe in your abilities, Nadeshiko-san." She turned towards the door, "I'm the Student council Vice President, Kumoda Usagi."

Hotaru smiled and bowed, "Takenaka Hotaru. Class representative of class 1-4."

"Oh that's the college prep class isn't it?" Usagi sang, a bit impressed, "That really is quite the honor then, Hotaru-chan."

Hotaru's shoulders dropped, "That doesn't help the pressure…"

The two girls entered the room and were met with the gaze of a very tall boy. "You're late Usagi. I told you to get the papers here within a good amount of time before the meeting starts." He looked passed Usagi and noticed Hotaru quietly standing behind the taller girl. He smiled, "And if I'm not mistaken you have the school's yamato nadeshiko standing behind you."

Hotaru jumped in surprise as the boy made his way towards the two girls. Usagi voiced her annoyance, "Don't you even think about trying anything with her, Leo. You know you would have the entire male population of the school on your ass."

Leo walked up to the two girls, his blonde-brown hair, which was almost the same legnth as Usagi's, swaying a bit with each step he took. His piercing yellow eyes scanning Hotaru from top to bottom. He bent down to Hotaru's eye level and smiled, "I wouldn't even think about defiling the school's idol. My name is Kumoda Leo, I'm the older brother of this rabid bunny."

Usagi frowned at her brother as Hotaru bowed in greeting, "I am Takenaka Hotaru, class representative of class 1-4."

Leo smiled and patted her head, "I look forward to working with you, Hotaru-chan."

* * *

Once the class representative meeting was over the students began to file out of the school. Hotaru noticed that some students were leaving the area of the sports club rooms as well, _'I wonder if Tadachi and Tsukki are done with practice too…'_ She turned towards the direction of the sports club, but before she could even take a step she was suddenly grabbed by her wrist and spun back around.

"Hold on there, Hotaru-chan." Hotaru looked up and saw the student council president. Leo smiled down at the short girl, "Why don't I walk you home? It's getting dark outside and we can't have the school's princess walking alone."

"I-I see, that's very kind of you, Kumoda-ku-" Her eyes were suddenly covered from behind as she was, again, forcibly brought back, this time hitting what seemed like a wall.

"Sorry to say, Student Council President-san, but that's our job." Hotaru looked up and saw that the wall she had been pulled back into was Tsukishima.

Yamaguchi appeared next to the two, "We live near Hotaru-chan, so you don't need to trouble yourself." He honestly stated.

However, Leo saw this as a challenge. He quickly regained his composure and smirked, "I see. I must ask though, who are you two to Hotaru-chan?" He asked as he stepped forward to look Tsukishima in the eye. Yes. That's right. Leo was almost the exact same height as the giant Tsukishima. It was the first time the two boys have actually looked someone in the eye in a while.

Tsukishima smiled, "We're just old friends of Takenaka-san. So we've been walking her to and from school since we were very little. I hope you can understand why we wouldn't want to break this tradition, Student council president-san."

Leo smiled back, a bit irked, "I see I see. Well then I guess I'll just be on my way." He looked into Tsukishima's eyes, "Also, feel free to call me Kumoda. I don't want to seem so distant to my precious underclassmen."

"U-Um…" The two giant high school students looked down to Hotaru who was in the middle of this scary, very scary conversation, "Why do I sense some tension here…"

Tsukishima and Leo smiled, "Nonsense." They chimed at the same time, but quickly looked back up at each other and glared. Yamaguchi quickly pushed his two friends towards the gates of the school and looked back at his upperclassman, "I-If you don't mind, we'll be taking our leave now."

Leo frowned as he watched the trio make their way towards the gate. Tsukishima paused and turned back around, "Just curious, how tall are you, Kumoda-san?"

"187cm." Leo answered with a slight smirk.

Tsukishima returned the smirk and turned back around, "Is that so. What a shame, I thought I found someone as tall as me, but I guess not."

This probably irked Leo more than it should have.

Tsukishima retained his triumphant smirk as the trio made their way back to the Takenaka shrine. Yamaguchi let out a shaky laugh, "Are you really that proud about winning against the president, Tsukki?"

"Of course not." Tsukishima defended as he regained his usual stoic expression.

Hotaru looked up at the taller of the two boys, "Win? I wasn't aware that you two were fighting, though I did sense a lot of tension… Oh is it about the height? I mean it's only 1cm, Tsukki…"

Yamaguchi let out another small laugh, "Don't worry about it, Hotaru-chan…"

Hotaru turned towards Yamaguchi, "Oh right, how was volleyball practice?"

Yamaguchi smiled, "It was good! We've actually got a practice match against one of the top four schools in the prefecture tomorrow after school!" He smiled towards Tsukishima, "Tsukki is going to be in the starting rotation tomorrow too!"

"Really?" Hotaru's face lit up. She turned towards Tsukishima and smiled, "Isn't that great, Tsukki! Congratulations!"

"Doesn't really matter to me." Tsukishima state as he picked up his pace to leave the two shorter students behind. Yamaguchi and Hotaru looked at each other and smiled.

* * *

_**[[Aero's Afterthought]]**_  
Short chapters are so short. (。_。)  
Thank you for following and reviewing! Boosted my confidence a bit since, like I said, coming outta a rut. ヽ(；▽；)ノ  
Hope I didn't make Tsukki too OOC. He's such a tsundere though. Heheh~


	3. Chapter 3: Friends?

Chapter 3: Friends?

The following day, Hotaru checked the log to see who was in charge of what when it came to cleaning the classroom. _'Seems like everyone is doing what they're supposed to be doing.'_ Hotaru smiled, _'They're really making this class representative thing easy for me.'_

"Excuse me," Everyone looked towards the door to the classroom and saw Usagi standing there, "I need to speak to Hotaru-chan."

Hotaru placed the duty log back into the desk and walked up to Usagi, "What is it, Kumoda-san?"

Usagi frowned in slight disgust, "Please call me Usagi. When you call me by my last name it reminds me I'm related to that idiot of an older brother." Hotaru laughed as Usagi continued, "Anyways, I have a favor to ask of you. I have to leave right now to go grocery shopping for my mother, but I was asked to make copies of a few packets that are sitting in the student council room." She clasped her hands together and bowed her head, "Everyone else in the student council is busy as well, so please! I'll take you out for cake one day!"

Hotaru smiled, "I'll be happy to help, but are you sure it's okay for me to do it? A responsibility for the vice president being entrusted to me…"

"It's fine it's fine! It's just making copies of a packet and stapling them together, it's nothing important, but it has to be done." Usagi turned around and began to walk away, "Oh, Nii-san said he'd be happy to help you out with learning how to work the copier, so there's no worries."

Hotaru smiled and nodded as Usagi disappeared from her sight. She returned to the classroom and helped make sure the chalkboard is neat and tidy.

"Are you sure you can handle a responsibility handed to you by the vice president?" Hotaru looked up towards Tsukishima who was erasing the chalkboard, "If you mess up you'll lose the trust of Vice President-san~." He said with a cocky grin.

Hotaru pouted, "She assured me it shouldn't be that bad. Also Kumoda-kun is supposed to be helping me so it shouldn't be that bad…"

"Tch."

* * *

"After you place the paper in the scanner you just go over here and select how many copies you need. In this case we need 500." Leo explained as he showed Hotaru how to work the copier.

Hotaru looked up at him, horrified, "F-F-F-Five hundred?! We need to make and staple that many of these packets?!"

Leo chuckled, "Don't worry Hotaru-chan, doing this goes back faster than you would think. Plus, I'll be here to help you out."

Hotaru waved her hand, "W-Wait a minute Kumoda-kun. I can't possibly ask you to help me with this. Usagi-san asked me to do it and only told me you would be here to teach me to work the copier. I'm sure you have your own business to attend to since you're president of the student council. I can really get through this on my own."

Leo smiled and patted Hotaru's head, "Nonsense my dear Hotaru-chan. How can I let you do this all by yourself? I've already finished my other duties so I've got all the time in the world for you." Hotaru reluctantly nodded as the two took a seat and a stapler and began to bundle the packets together. Leo glanced up across the table at the petite girl with curiosity, "By the way, Hotaru-chan. Who were those two boys with you yesterday after school? I noticed that they did indeed arrive at school with you this morning."

"Oh you mean Yamaguchi Tadashi and Tsukishima Kei." She said the names of her two dear friends with a smile, "Well like they said yesterday we're childhood friends and have been walking to and from the same school since middle school. Though I have known Tadachi far longer than I have known Tsukishima." Her smile faded a bit, "It's kind of depressing that we might not be able to walk home together anymore since they have volleyball practice now…"

Leo hummed in understanding, "I see. By the looks of it yesterday they are very overprotective of you."

Hotaru giggled, "I don't think it's like that. We're just always together. Tadachi isn't very intimidating, but that glare Tsukki always has isn't a 'stay away from her' glare, it's just how he looks all the time."

"I see~, well then they're a couple of idiots." Hotaru stopped what she was doing and looked up at the boy across the table from her with a bit of anger in her eyes. Leo smirked as he continued and reached over the twiddle a strand of Hotaru's hair in between his fingers, "If it were me, then I would be very protective of you. I wouldn't want anyone to steal away my Nadeshiko-chan."

* * *

The men's volleyball team had just arrived back at the school after their practice match against Aoba Josai. It was already within the cusp of darkness by the time they returned to the school, so they worked together to clean the gymnasium as quickly as possible. Once they were done putting the cleaning supplies up into the equipment room and locking up the club room, they all began to make their way towards the school gates and back towards their respective homes.

Sugawara paused for a bit and looked towards the school entrance where the shoe lockers can be seen, "Isn't that the student council president?"

"He works so hard and for so long!" Hinata chimed in as he peered in the direction Sugawara was facing. He squinted a bit, "Isn't that a girl with him? It doesn't look like the vice president though."

Tanaka's face suddenly brightened as if it were Shimizu standing next to the president, "That's the school's Nadeshiko-chan!"

Tsukishima and Yamaguchi paused and looked towards the direction the entire volleyball team's attention was focused on. Indeed standing next to the president, putting her shoes on, was none other than their longtime friend. "Tch, that idiot." Tsukishima voiced as he began to make his way towards the two.

"H-Hold on a minute, Tsu-Tsukki!" Yamaguchi pleaded as he ran to catch up to the taller boy.

The rest of the volleyball team stood there, stunned. "What's his problem…?" Kageyama voiced everyone's thought.

* * *

"This time I must insist that I take you home, Hotaru-chan." Leo persisted.

Hotaru hunched over to slip her shoe on as he protested, "There's no need for that, Kumoda-kun. I'm very capable of walking home by myself in the dark." The pair began to make their way towards the school gates, "Besides, I know from Usagi-san that you live in the opposite direction as I do and I do not want to be an inconvenience for you."

Leo chuckled, "You are the furthest thing from an inconvenience. I must make sure that you get home safely after you've helped the student council so much."

"Then allow us to make sure she gets home safe." A third voice stated.

Hotaru and Leo looked to the side and met the cocky grin of Tsukishima and the gleeful smile of Yamaguchi. Hotaru suddenly beamed with life, "Tadachi! Tsukki! What are you two still doing here?"

"We just returned from our practice match." Yamaguchi happily said, "I guess this is a good coincidence."

Leo frowned as Tsukishima walked closer to the pair, "I'm sure this must make you happy, Kumoda-san~. You don't have to worry about Takenaka anymore." He placed his hand on top of Hotaru's head and lightly pushed her towards Yamaguchi. Tsukishima smiled towards Leo, "I'm sure you're tired as well so now you can get home as soon as possible."

Leo smiled while slightly grinding his teeth, "How lucky for me that my precious underclassmen are here to take care of little Hotaru-chan. I'll leave her to you two then." He began to walk towards the gates, but not before turning around and sending off one last glare towards Tsukishima's cocky smirk. Tsukishima turned back around to face his two friends only to be met by the grins of the rest of the volleyball club. Tsukishima's smirk quickly disappeared as it was replaced by a frown.

"I can't tell if that was you being cool or just you being you."

"Did you really just send off the president like that? So brave~."

"Who knew you could use your cockiness for other people, Tsukishima."

Hotaru smiled at the sudden appearance of what she assumed to be friends of Yamaguchi and Tsukishima. Believe it or not, Tsukishima's sparkling personality and Yamaguchi's desire to always support Tsukishima doesn't earn them many friends, "Is this the rest of the club, Tsukki? Tadachi?"

The entire volleyball team was stunned, _'She calls these two by nicknames?! Yamaguchi is understandable but even this bastard Tsukishima?!'_

Tanaka was suddenly looming over Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, "Hey hey hey hey, how did you two score Nadeshiko-chan as a friend? Blackmail? Bribery? Hypnosis? I'll be sure to administer an appropriate punishment depending on your answers."

Yamaguchi put his hands up in defense, "We've been friends with her for a very long time now… even before high school…"

Sawamura grabbed Tanaka by the back of his collar and brought him back away from the two, "Tanaka, that's enough." Sawamura smiled at Hotaru, "I'm Sawamura Daichi, captain of the volleyball team."

Hotaru bowed deeply as she introduced herself, "I'm Takenaka Hotaru. Thank you for always looking after Tada- er, Yamaguchi-kun and Tsukishima-kun during club practice." She straightened herself and smiled to the rest of the team, "I know firsthand that they can be a handful, but do please continue to take care of them."

Her refreshing personality was enough to set everyone at easy as their faces naturally molded into a smile.

Tsukishima flicked Hotaru's forehead, "Don't go saying stuff like that on your own. It's embarrassing."

Tanaka suddenly went gorilla mode, "TSUKISHIMA YOU BASTARD DON'T HIT NADESHIKO-CHAN'S FOREHEAD LIKE THAT YOU TALL SASQUATCH BASTARD!"

Kageyama went up to Hotaru, bent down, and whispered, "Hey, does Tsukishima have any weaknesses? Like embarrassing photos you can sell me or stories from his stupid childhood or something like that?"

Hinata was next to Kageyama, his face brimming with joy as he looked down to someone for once, "Even if you're a girl, I'm still happy I get to look down to someone. It's been so long…"

"All of you calm down!" Sawamura yelled as he dragged the three boys through the school gates.

Sugawara laughed as he looked down towards Hotaru, "I'm sorry about them."

"I-It's no problem." She smiled at the backs of her two friends as they began to exit the school grounds as well, "I'm just happy that those two have a colorful bunch of people to surround themselves with."

The group of teens began to make their way home, Hotaru's escort group growing by an extra five people. Sugawara looked down to the petite girl as they walked towards the convenience store they frequented after practice, "So how do you know Yamaguchi and Tsukishima?"

"Tadachi's mother and my mother have been best friends since their high school days, so we've been together since before we were even born." Hotaru laughed, "Tadachi and I met Tsukki in middle school. They played on the same volleyball team and Tadachi kind of just stuck to Tsukki like glue, so of course I followed as well." She ended with a smile at the fond memories, "Tadachi would always tell me about all the cool things Tsukki did during practice too. It was really cute."

Yamaguchi spun around and shushed Hotaru, a blush threatening his freckled face, "Hotaru-chan! Don't speak of embarrassing stuff like that!"

Hotaru giggled at her friend's reaction, "There were times you also told me about the not so cool things Tsukki did too." At this Kageyama, Hinata, and Tanaka's ears all perked up as she continued, "Tsukki hated receiving back then cause he wasn't good at it, so I remember there was this one time you told me that Tsukki go hit in the-"

Tsukishima was suddenly behind her and he covered almost her entire face when he covered her mouth, "What do you think you're doing, idiot girl?"

Hotaru managed to get Tsukishima's hand off of her mouth with much difficulty, "There's nothing wrong with a little small talk, is there Tsukki?"

Tanaka and Kageyama were next to Tsukishima in an instant and placed a hand on his shoulder, "There really isn't anything wrong with a bit of small talk, Tsukishima-kun~" Tanaka cackled out.

Kageyama let out the same ominous chuckle, "We're teammates after all, and we need to know more and more about each other."

Tsukishima frowned in annoyance. He picked Hotaru up by the back of her collar and continued to walk ahead of the group, "I'll take the liberty of escorting this blabbermouth the rest of the way home."

"H-Hey wait, Tsukki! You're going to stretch out my uniform!" Hotaru protested as she was carried away against her will, "I get it I get it I won't talk about the past anymore around your teammates. I'm sorry~!" She whined, but Tsukishima was in no mood for sympathy or mercy.

Yamaguchi scratched the back of his head and let out a short laugh, "I should make sure Tsukki doesn't hurt Hotaru-chan." He turned to his teammates and gave a small wave, "We'll see you all tomorrow!" Then he ran after his two friends, Hotaru still protesting and Tsukishima still not lending an ear.

* * *

_**[[Aero's Afterthought]]**_  
Baha. My chapter are steadily getting longer.  
Old habits are so hard to break. Aha. orz;;  
Again, hope Tsukki wasn't that OOC...  
Trying to make him cute when he's such an ass is hard...


	4. Chapter 4: Intimidation

Chapter 4: Intimidation

Hotaru sighed as she walked to school with Yamaguchi and Tsukishima, just like any other school day. She couldn't help but mess with the back of the collar of her school uniform, "I told you to let me go or else it would stretch out, Tsukki. Now it looks weird."

Tsukishima was unfazed by her predicament, "Any way I see it it's your fault. You shouldn't be talking about embarrassing stuff like that to just anyone, idiot."

Yamaguchi remained silent as his two friends kept their back and forth going. From the outside it didn't seem like such a bad fight. Tsukishima never really got serious about anything and when confronted he'd either passively argue back or aggressively win in one comeback.

Hotaru on the other hand, was a lady. She would never think about raising her voice towards anyone, especially her friends. Though she did have this knack for making the other party stand down before her. She may be a lady, but she was a stubborn one at that and usually outlasted the other in an argument.

As the trio approached the school gates, they were greeted by Leo, who of course being student council president had to make sure everyone's attire was within code. A smile played its way across his lips, "Good morning Hotaru-chan." His smile was gone in an instant as he turned to the two boys and greeted them rather unwillingly, "Tsukishima Kei. Yamaguchi Tadashi."

Tsukishima and Yamaguchi briskly walked past him, giving the president a short greeting. Hotaru bowed deeply towards Leo before running to catch up to her friends. "You know you two can try to be a little bit nicer to Kumoda-kun. I don't know why there is such tension between you three."

Tsukishima shrugged as he got his school shoes and leaned against the lockers to put them on, "And you shouldn't let a guy you just met casually call you buy your first name, idiot."

Hotaru pouted as she reached for her shoes as well, "It's not my fault. Kumoda-kun started calling me by my first name the moment that we met."

To stop another argument from cropping up, Yamaguchi turned to Hotaru, "Say Hotaru-chan, after school once you're done with all your class representative business, why don't you come by the gym and wait for me and Tsukki to be done with practice?"

"Are you sure that's alright? I don't want to be a distraction…"

Yamaguchi waved his hand in reassurance, "You met everyone yesterday and I think they all took a real liking to you. I'm sure they won't mind."

"Well if you say so…" Hotaru replied, still a bit unsure about the idea. She caught sight of Usagi from the corner of her eye, "Ah. You two go on ahead to the classroom! I need to talk to Usagi-san about something!" She said then turned around and called out to Usagi.

As the two boys walked towards the first year classrooms, Yamaguchi struck up a conversation, "Do you think Hotaru-chan knows what Leo is known for?"

"Of course not." Tsukishima answered nonchalantly, "She's an idiot after all. She doesn't pay attention to what people say around her."

Kumoda Leo: Third year at Karasuno high school. Student Council President and also top of his class. Tall, smart, and incredibly handsome. His name has been notorious ever since he entered high school. It's rumored that in middle school he dated a high school student. It was also rumored that in his last year of middle school he even got the number of a university student! He has been known to be able to get any girl he wants (even more than one at the same time.) He's a lady killer who knows how to wield his looks and knows that he can practically have any girl in the school if he wanted to.

"And it seems he's set his sights on Takenaka, though I highly doubt she'll even pick up on it."

Yamaguchi laughed, "That's true." He paused and looked out the window. Leo still stood near the school gates, greeting everyone with a charming smile and wave. Leo paused for a moment and looked up, towards Yamaguchi. A smile played its way across the president's lips. Yamaguchi frowned, "But I still don't like it."

* * *

It was the middle of the school day and class 1-4 had math class during this time. The students scribbled away as the teacher pointed out certain parts of the equation and explained them. Tsukishima took a quick glance towards the seat in front of him here Hotaru sat. She was hunched over more so than the other students as well as scribbling more furiously. Curiosity got the better of the tall middle blocker as he straightened himself a bit more to be able to get a good look at her notebook.

**HOW TO BE A GOOD CLASS REP**  
Be kind Be cheerful  
Be intimidating? Be stern?  
Always ask if people have questions after class meeting  
Take initiative even if you're shy!  
**Be more reliable  
**Speak up more!

Tsukishima's expression turned sour seeing the small girl work so hard. He went back to his notes and continued to listen to the lesson, _'Why does she try so hard? If it's not fun for her she should just talk to the teacher and tell her that she wants out.'_ He twirled his pencil around his finger, glanced back up at Hotaru, and frowned, _'Didn't think she'd last this long. She didn't even want to do it before, so why…'_

The school bell interrupted Tsukishima's thoughts as it signaled the start of lunch break. He saw Hotaru visibly jump in her seat, startled that math class had ended so quickly without her knowing. She began to frantically look around, 'Wh-What? Class is over already?!"

Tsukishima sighed as he got up from his desk and lightly smacked the girl on the back of her head, "You should be paying attention in class, Class Rep-san. Don't forget you barely made the cut to get into this class." He stated bluntly as he walked away.

Hotaru pouted as she watched Tsukishima's retreating figure as he left the classroom to buy lunch. Yamaguchi made his way to the duo's desks and sat in front of Hotaru. He looked down, noticed her notes, and chuckled, "You're really taking this class representative thing seriously aren't you?"

Hotaru blushed as she frantically packed away her "math notes" into her desk, "I-I-I… I just don't want to mess up."

Yamaguchi smiled as he unfolded the cloth that held his bento box, "Just be yourself, Hotaru-chan. The reason the class chose you is because they think you can do a great job as is. Besides, I don't think you have it in your to be intimidating."

Hotaru pouted as she took out her bento box, "I can be intimidating! Just ask Sasori!"

"He's your little brother, it doesn't count." Tsukishima chimed in as he returned with a bag holding a very small lunch. He sat behind them and took out the contents of the bag and began unwrapping them from the plastic, "A kitten is more intimidating than you."

"Hey, why don't you give it a try?" Yamaguchi suggested, spewing grains of rice from his mouth as he did.

"Eh? Well…. Okay." Hotaru took a deep breath. She quickly turned around and looked at Tsukishima with the most intimidating face she could muster. She slammed both hands down on his desk and, "G-Gimme yer l-l-lunch money y-ya maggot?"

Silence.

_Silence_.

**Silence**.

Tsukishima and Yamaguchi burst into laughter as Hotaru's face turned red as all the blood rushed to her face in embarrassment. Yamaguchi choked down the rest of the food he had in his mouth as Tsukishima took his glasses off and wiped the tears from his eyes, "Why did it come out as a question?! That wasn't intimidating at all! That was just sad!"

"Sh-Shut up!" Hotaru cried out, hiding her face from her two friends. You can practically see the steam coming off of her heated head as she shrunk deeper and deeper into her seat.


	5. Holiday Special

Holiday Special

It was a cold, cold morning inside the Takenaka residence. Hotaru's eyes slowly opened as her body shivered underneath the blankets of her bed. She groggily turned off the alarm that sat at the head of her bed, _'It's really cold today...'_ She thought to herself as she reluctantly sat up in her bed. She looked out the window so see the sky, gray with the winter season and the sun nowhere to be seen.

She suddenly felt something shift beside her. In surprise, she looked to the side opposite of the window to see Sasori lying there in his onesie, curled up in a small ball and cuddled close to her for warmth. Hotaru gently patted her little brother on the head, "Sasori, wake up and get ready for school."

Sasori grumbled in his sleep and turned to face the other way, "I don't want to go to school. It's too cold to go outside."

"It's the last day today before break." Hotaru pointed out, "If you don't go Obaa-chan's going to get angry with you and you won't get any gifts this year."

Sasori looked back at his sister, glaring at her with half open eyes. He literally rolled off her warm bed and made his way back to his room, swaying back and forth. Hotaru sighed and looked back out the window, "It really is cold though…"

The two students dressed up, ate breakfast, and began to bundle themselves up for the walk to their respective schools. Their grandmother came out from the kitchen with two wrapped thermoses in her hands, "Here's some soup for your lunches today. Be sure to test the temperature before you put the whole thing in your mouth, Sasori." She knelt down and fixed the younger sibling's scarf and made sure his hat was on properly, "You two be safe. There might be some ice patches from the morning dew so take heed of where you step."

The two siblings nodded and took their leave. Along the way Sasori met up with his two friends that he usually walked to school with. Hotaru let go of his hand and reminded him to watch his step. She smiled watching her brother head off towards the direction of the elementary school and began to make her way towards Karasuno.

"Hotaru!" A very familiar voice called out. Hotaru paused and turned to face her two longtime friends. "You're early today." Yamaguchi pointed out as the two boys arrived on either side of her.

"Obaa-chan wanted us to leave a bit earlier today since it's so cold and there might be some frozen patches along the way."

"Maybe you should start leaving this early all the time," Tsukishima glanced down and smirked, "Your legs are so short that it's a hassle to have to wait for you to catch up in the morning." Yamaguchi inwardly laughed as his two friends began to lightly bicker.

* * *

The trio began to make their way towards their classroom only to be met with a large group of people clamored around the entrance. "I wonder what's going on…" Hotaru voiced. They began to walk closer and saw the other freshmen duo from the volleyball club.

"Ah! Nadeshiko-chan!" Hinata said gleefully. Kageyama turned and gave a small nod as a greeting.

"What's going on in there?" Yamaguchi asked.

"We really have no idea." Kageyama answered, "But I think the student council president is in there or something?"

Tsukishima frowned at the mention of Kumoda Leo. Suddenly, a female student broke through the group of five and grabbed Hotaru's wrist, "Takenaka-san, Kumoda-kun has been waiting for you!"

"E-Eh?" Hotaru squeaked out as she was forcibly pulled into the crowded classroom.

The four boys were left there, baffled as to why Hotaru would be involved. Actually scratch that, they know exactly why Hotaru would be involved. It is Kumoda Leo they're speaking of after all. He would do anything to get Hotaru to reciprocate his feelings. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi did their best to make their way into the classroom as Hinata and Kageyama watched from the entrance.

Once Hotaru was pulled out of the crowd and into the middle of it, she saw Leo sitting on her desk, surrounded by various first year female students, waiting for her. "Hotaru-chan! I'm so glad that I can catch you before class started." He hopped off the desk and approached the confused first year, "I got scouted by a modeling agency to do a special holiday shoot in Tokyo next week. They said I can bring a couple of people along with me. Naturally I thought of you, Hotaru-chan."

"E-Eh? M-M-Me? I couldn't possibly-" She stopped short of her rejection as she gazed upon the dozens of glares behind Leo. They were from his fans that would give their arm and leg to go on this trip with him, and here Hotaru was, trying to turn him down. "U-Um what about Usagi-san? I sure she would want to go!"

"Of course." Leo let out a low chuckle that left his fans swooning, "They reserved two hotel rooms so the most I planned on taking was two to begin with. Usagi will of course be coming with us. Since you are such good friends with my little sister, I just thought it would nice for you to be around to keep her company."

Hotaru's expression brightened a bit, "Oh I see. Well then I'll be happy to go with you."

"That's great! We'll be leaving Monday which is the start of break. You don't have to worry about any expenses since the agency said they'll cover everything!" Leo smiled and patted Hotaru on the head. He began to take his leave and noticed Yamaguchi and Tsukishima standing in his path, Yamaguchi with a very angered look and Tsukishima giving off a slight glare. A smirk played its way onto Leo's lips as he placed a hand on the shoulder of each boy, "I'll be taking Hotaru-chan for the holidays if you boys don't mind." He smugly said and took his leave.

* * *

Hotaru and Usagi exited the train station together and took in the Tokyo sites. Usagi gushed, "Everyone here is so fashionable! Nothing like our hometown!"

"I've been to Tokyo a couple of times with my parents, but never in the winter time!" Hotaru said, "It's really beautiful and the holiday spirit is really prevalent here."

Leo followed closely behind them, a slight scowl on his face as two unexpected travel companions followed as well, "I really hate you two, just to make it official."

Yamaguchi and Tsukishima smirked at the angered student council president. "Now Kumoda-san," Tsukishima started with his usual cheeky tone, "It's not our fault. We have no idea how word got to Takenaka's parents about her going to Tokyo. It's just natural that doting parents would feel uncomfortable with their daughter leaving town with a pair of students they haven't met. Of course they would want Yamaguchi and me to tag along."

Leo gritted his teeth, "You-"

"Hey!" Usagi called out, "You three are slow. Hurry your asses up or else Hotaru-chan and I will just have to leave you three here."

The three boys followed closely behind the two girls, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi with triumphant smirks plastered on their faces while Leo kept the scowls he's been sporting since they left their humble town. They arrived at the hotel where the agency reserved two rooms for Leo and the other invites. Usagi looked up in awe, "Whoa~, this place is so extravagant!"

The group of teens made their way through the luxurious lobby, feeling largely out of place. Though they did spot some other teens around them, they were on a whole other level of fashion and confidence. Once they received their room keys Usagi plucked one of the key cards out of Leo's hands, "Hotaru-chan and I shall be taking this room." She said with a smile.

"W-Wait a minute, Usa!" Leo tried to protest, of course wanting it to be the other way around. Usagi stuck her tongue out and ran ahead, dragging Hotaru along with her.

"Did you really think we would let you even set foot in the same hotel room as Hotaru?" Yamaguchi smugly asked.

Tsukishima let out a low chuckle, "You really are an idiot, aren't you Kumoda-san?" He plucked the key card out of Leo's hand as well and began to make his way towards the elevators with Yamaguchi, "We look forward to spending time with you, Kumoda-_senpai_."

Hotaru and Usagi were busy putting their belongings into place when Usagi noticed a note on the desk. She placed her clothes on the bed and went to go see what the contents of this mysterious note were. After skimming through it quickly her eyes lit up, "Hotaru-chan!" She called out happily. Hotaru looked up only to have Usagi's arms suddenly slung over her, "Look at this!" She placed the note in front of Hotaru to read.

_Dear Kumoda Leo,_  
_We are pleased to inform you that our request to host a Christmas Eve Gala has been approved._  
_We are happy to invite you and your guests to this event._  
_It will be an extravagant evening filled with food, dancing, and laughter._  
_This will be held in the event hall in this very hotel for the convenience of our model invites._  
_The date is the 24th of December at 7pm._  
_Please come in formal attire and feel free to come and go at any time you please._  
_We look forward to working with you on the 23rd._

Hotaru smiled as she watched Usagi dance around the room. She giggled, "You're really excited about this aren't you?"

"Of course I am!" She clasped her hands together and stared longingly upward, "What if I get to dance with a tall, dark, and handsome man and that becomes the start of my high school romance?" She hopped off the bed, grabbed Hotaru's hands and began to spin around in circles, "Plus this gives us an excuse to go shopping! Shopping in Tokyo!" Usagi dragged Hotaru out of the room, Hotaru grabbing her purse on the way out, and over to the other side of the hallway where the boys were staying.

Usagi excitedly knocked on the door. Yamaguchi answered to the several knocks only to reveal Tsukishima and Leo having a glare off in the background. Usagi frowned, "What are they arguing about now?"

"Which one of them gets the couch," Yamaguchi said with a slight chuckle, "I think their mind set is whoever gets the couch is the bigger man because he's giving up the bed…"

"I insist I get the bed, Kumoda-_senpai_. This is your trip after all. You deserve to enjoy the full luxury of this hotel."

"Not at all, Tsukishima-san. You are my guest and I insist you get the bed. You're so skinny it seems your body is so weak and fragile that I'm sure you need to softness of the bed."

Usagi sighed as the two continued their verbal battle, "Well Hotaru-chan and I are going to go shopping for this Gala thing. Would you like to come, Yamaguchi-kun?"

"Sure. I'll just go get my coa-" His coat was suddenly thrown over his head as Leo and Tsukishima made their way out of the room and towards the elevators.

"When did they stop fighting…?"

* * *

Once they were in the hustle and bustle of the Tokyo streets, Usagi went starry-eyed at every single store they passed. The boys slowly trailed behind the girls, carrying the bags of the girls, as Hotaru happily followed the excited girl into the stores. Usagi started to sift through the many racks of clothing, "I was thinking about what dress you should wear and since you're naturally cute, we should try and go for an elegant look for you, Hotaru-chan." She smiled at her friend, "I bet it will really knock the socks off the guys."

"Usagi-san, about paying for the clothing. I can-"

Usagi put her hand up to Hotaru's face to cut her short, "Don't worry about it. Our older brother does very well for himself and sends us some money every month." Usagi smiled, "Plus he issued a credit card to both Leo and I so you, Tsukishima, and Yamaguchi don't have to worry about a thing while we're here if it's not paid by the agency."

"But what I'm trying to say is-"

Usagi put her hand up again to silence her underclassman, "I don't want to hear another word from you on the matter. Now go try these on." She said while pushing some clothes into her arms and pushing her towards a dressing room.

The boys waited outside, Leo glaring at the girly store the two girls were in, Tsukishima adorning his headphones, and Yamaguchi looking at a tourist guide to Tokyo. Leo tapped his foot impatiently, "That dumb sister of mine is taking up precious time with Hotaru-chan."

Yamaguchi frowned and looked away from the guide book, "Kumoda-san, why is it you haven't given up on Hotaru when she's clearly not interested in you?"

Leo glared down at the shortest of the three boys, "Every girl is interested in me. Most are just interested in me right off the bat, Hotaru-chan just needs more time to realize my charm."

"You really are a conceited one, aren't you Kumoda-san." Tsukishima chimed in.

"You little ba-"

"No fighting!" Hotaru's tiny voice ordered. The three boys turned to face a pouting Hotaru, "Can you three try to get along while we're here?" She pleaded with the biggest pair of puppy dog eyes a girl can muster.

The three boys looked away from each other and Hotaru's powerful gaze. Usagi sighed. She grabbed the shopping bags out of Hotaru's hands and placed them in the hands of the boys, "You three stay here for a bit longer. Hotaru-chan and I will go find some hot chocolate for you guys as a treat, then we'll go look for tuxedos." The boys were forced to hold the piles and piles of bags and boxes the girls (mostly Usagi) have accumulated in such a short time as the female duo left to go find a stall.

"Say, what do you think about my brother?"

Hotaru looked up at the taller girl, a bit confused at the question, "What do I think about Kumoda-san? Well… he's very diligent in his work as student council president, he's very outgoing, he's very chivalrous, and-"

"That's not what a meant." Usagi sighed, "Instead, what do you think about your two best friends?"

"Tadachi and Tsukki are the best friends I can ever ask for!" Hotaru said happily at the change of topic, "They're always there for me when I need them and they always look out for me. They're fun to be with even if they do cause some trouble when it comes to other people."

Usagi frowned as they began to approach a quaint stall, "That's not really what I meant…" She ordered five hot chocolates, paid, and waited off to the side on a bench with Hotaru as the owners made a new batch of hot chocolate, "I mean what you think about them as guys."

"As guys?" Hotaru looked up at the sky a bit and thought about the question, "Well Tadachi is like a brother to me. We've known each other since we were babies and he's always been by my side taking care of me and vice versa. Tsukki is-"

"Hey, you two aren't from around here are you?"

Usagi and Hotaru turned their attention to two boys that had approached them with wide grins, "We can completely tell you two aren't from around here. Why don't the four of us hang out today and we can show you two around?"

Hotaru scooted closer towards Usagi on the bench as Usagi smiled at the two boys, "Though that does sound fund, we're actually here with our tall, strong, handsome boyfriends. So sad to say you two will have to find another pair to bother."

"Hm~?" One of the boys hummed as they both looked around, "But I don't see anybody that fits your description, so it would seem that either you two were ditched or you're lying to us."

One of them crouched down to make eye contact with Hotaru, "You don't have to look so suspicious of us. We're just a couple of guys who just want the company of a pair of beautiful ladies." The boy was suddenly knocked down from behind and was forced to kiss the cold pavement underneath them, much to everyone's surprise.

"Ah. I'm so sorry. I didn't see you there." A very familiar cheeky voice came.

The fallen boy's face contorted to that of anger as he sprang to his feet to come face to face with the person who pushed him down, "What's the big idea you bast-" Or more like face to chest. The stranger looked up to see the cocky smirk of Tsukishima with Yamaguchi beside him looking down on the other boy. "…. T-tall…" they both squeaked out.

Yamaguchi walked past the two towards the girls and handed them a container holding three hot chocolates in it, one already being in his hand, "Are you okay, Hotaru, Usagi-san?"

The two girls nodded as the two boys briskly took their leave. Usagi looked around a bit, "Where's my brother?"

"He got caught up taking pictures with a couple of girls." Tsukki said, taking a sip from his hot chocolate, "More and more girls started to crowd around him so it got annoying and we left." He turned around and began to walk back, the other three following suit.

"Usagi-san," Hotaru called out, "I think I know now. If Tadachi is like my brother, Tsukki…" she looked up and smiled, "Maybe he'd be like my dad."

* * *

The next day, the group of teens made their way to the modeling agency for Leo's day of modeling. Hotaru looked around in awe as the stage for the photo shoot was being set up, "Everyone here is so tall and beautiful!"

They watched as Leo followed every direction that was instructed to him and executed each pose flawlessly. Even during the group shots Leo seemed to always be in the center and had more of a presence than any of the other high school students invited. Hotaru's eyes lit up even more, "Kumoda-kun is really amazing isn't he? I had my doubts about him being a model, but he's completely blew them away."

Usagi laughed, "He is arrogant beyond belief, but that is only because he is good at what he does."

"Tch," Tsukishima vocalized, "I was hoping something embarrassing would happen to him during this trip."

The head photographer dispersed the last group walked up to Leo, "The next session I want you to pick a partner from the female group of high school students. It'll be to capture the romantic aspect of the holiday season, so we need someone who looks good next to you and also good chemistry."

"I see," Leo hummed, "Well then in that case I would like to take it with my guest." He looked off towards the side and grinned at Hotaru. Yamaguchi and Tsukishima began to send angered vibes towards Kumoda and Hotaru began to show her protest to the idea of her being in front of cameras.

The photographer frowned a bit and shook his head, "I apologize, but your companion just is not what we're looking for in this shot. She's very plain with a traditional look. We're wanting someone with a more, hip and fashionable look for this issue. She's also too short to be placed next to you, Kumoda-san. I insist you choose one from the female models." He glanced back up towards the group, "Though your other female companion should do. She's tall enough and with a bit of make-up and hair styling I'm sure she'd look fine if you insist on having one of your companions as your partner."

Leo's face turned south very quickly, "Oh if it's her then I'll just-"

Usagi was next to him in minutes with a wide smile, "I would be honored if I can participate in this photo shoot! Style me anyway you want and I'll do my best, though I am just a beginner at this modeling thing." She slightly turned to her older brother and flashed a wicked grin, "If you can get into the modeling business, so can I. Don't mess this up for me, idiot brother." She mused. Leo's face turned green at the thought of having to model with his little sister.

Hotaru slightly giggled at the sight before her from her spot in between her two friends. They leaned against a wall as they watched the happenings around them, a glimpse in a life that they probably won't experience again. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi glanced down to see a tinge of sadness in Hotaru's eyes. Though she does know and accept the fact that she is fairly plain and not the type of beauty the magazine was looking for right now, hearing that the way she looked was unsatisfactory for a professional still hurt her. She was, after all, still a normal teenage girl.

Tsukishima placed his large hand on top of her head, "That face doesn't suit you, Takenaka."

Yamaguchi smiled down at his best friend, "No matter what these big shots say, you're still pretty, Hotaru."

The sadness that clouded Hotaru's eyes was suddenly lifted by the kind words from her two tall pillars of support through the years. Her normal smile returned to her face as they watched the Kumoda siblings try their hardest to pass off as lovers in the photo shoot.

* * *

It was the night of the Gala and Yamaguchi and Tsukishima were hanging out near the refreshments in their new suits. They watched as Leo chatted it up with some of the other models, mainly the female invites. They also saw him pose for a few pictures for the modeling agency as they had numerous photographers for this event.

"This trip wasn't all that bad. Wouldn't you say, Tsukki?"

"It wasn't horrible except for the fact we had to share a room with that flirting monster over there."

A beautiful girl came and approached the two. She smiled and nodded towards Tsukishima, then turned to face Yamaguchi, "Hi. I just came by to say that I really love your freckles."

"E-Eh?!" Yamaguchi stuttered out, a tint of red quickly filling his cheeks. For the longest time he's always been made fun of for having freckles. Now there's a beautiful girl saying that she likes them. Of course Yamaguchi would be a bit flustered.

The girl giggled, "Is it really that strange for me to say? Not a lot of people here have them or just eventually grow out of them, so I just thought that you were really unique and cute."

"E-EH?!" Yamaguchi stuttered out even louder. Now the words cute came out of her mouth. There was something definitely in that punch.

She giggled even more and took hold of his hand, "We're going to dance," She turned to Tsukishima, "You don't mind if I take him for a while?"

Tsukishima raised an eyebrow and held his glass near his mouth, "Do what you want."

"Tsu-Tsukki?!" His freckled companion squeaked out as he was dragged out towards the dance floor. Tsukishima watched in slight amusement as Yamaguchi attempted to slow dance with the beautiful girl, but ended up being led by her instead, constantly looking down making sure he doesn't step on her dainty feet. Tsukishima placed his empty glass down on the table and shifted positions from the refreshments table to an empty spot on the wall near the big glass doors leading out to a balcony. He looked out into the crowd, a bit bored now that his only conversation partner was whisked away.

"Hey yo Tsukishima-kun!" Tsukishima turned and saw Usagi in a short cocktail dress with her hair curled and long, extravagant earrings hanging down to match the length of her slightly shortened hair, "I see that Yamaguchi got kidnapped by a really beaut."

"I'm sure it wasn't kidnapping since he's probably happy that it happened."

"True." Usagi laughed, "Anyways, I'm going to go find some food and hopefully nab myself a hot boyfriend, so take care of Hotaru-chan for me."

"Wait what?" Usagi quickly made her exit to reveal a very nervous Hotaru. Her dress was long, elegant, and backless, something that Hotaru obviously didn't pick out herself. Her long hair was pulled back into a half ponytail and was slightly curled. Her jewelry wasn't as extravagant as Usagi's, but still complimented her attire well. Tsukishima had never seen Hotaru dressed like this before. Being caught off guard, he quickly looked the opposite direction to hide and to try to suppress the creeping redness in his cheeks.

Hotaru noticed his sudden turn and buried her face in her hands, "I-I look weird don't I? I told Usagi-san that I can't pull this look off."

"No…. that's not…. It…." Tsukishima found it hard to say anything to her right now. All his life he's done nothing but basically tease her. It was as unnatural to compliment her as this sort of attire on his dear friend. He took a small breath, "You look…. Decent."

Hotaru looked up to see the tall volleyball player avoiding eye contact, his face contorted in a bit of anger at the difficulty it took him to say that one compliment. She smiled, "Thank you, Tsukki."

Tsukishima's eyes quickly looked down then back at the crowd. He patted her head, still avoiding eye contact, "Also, happy birthday. Once Yamaguchi gets back I'll take a picture, no complaints, as a present." Hotaru continued to look down, the complete opposite direction of Tsukishima's gaze, her blush growing as if it were absorbing the warmth from Tsukishima's hand atop of her head.

_'__What I think about him as a guy…'_ She glanced up, finally making eye contact with Tsukishima, only to have it broken again as they both looked away, redness still tinting their cheeks, _'He's tall, handsome, strong, he's always there for me, protecting me, making me angry, making me happy, cheeky, mean… but… he's the best. The best guy.'_

* * *

_**[[Aero's Afterthought]]  
**_I hope y'all had a very happy holidays!  
I also hope y'all enjoyed this holiday special. (/^-^)/  
Not sure if I'll be getting the next chapter out soon or not, but I'll try my best!  
I hope Hotaru saying Tsukishima is like a dad made y'all laugh as much as it made me laugh writing it. (*≧▽≦)  
Please leave a review if you liked, hell leave a review if you hated it!  
よろしくお願いします！

* * *

Extended Ending

Once the break was over and the students made their return to school, Yamaguchi and Tsukishima took a short detour before the start of school to the volleyball club room to drop their athletic gear back off. Upon entering they saw everyone huddled around Tanaka who held a magazine in his hands.

"Is that the latest issue of Volleyball Weekly?" Yamaguchi asked, placing his bag on the ground.

Everyone grinned at the two freshman. Yamaguchi and Tsukishima jumped slightly at the sudden attention, "What's with those faces?" Tsukishima asked. He glanced down and noticed that Leo was on the cover of the magazine, meaning that magazine most definitely isn't the latest issue of volleyball weekly.

Nishinoya suddenly appeared in between the two boys and smacked Yamaguchi on the shoulder, "Why didn't you tell us you were going to make a debut, huh?" He laughed whole heartedly.

"What are you talking about, Nishinoya-san?"

Tanaka held up the magazine to reveal a two page article covering the beautiful girl that Yamaguchi danced with. In a certain section filled with pictures from the Gala, there was a picture of her dancing with Yamaguchi. The said boy's face quickly heated up to the point the steam was visibly showing, "Wha-What is- I didn't kno- Wh-Wha-What?!"

"It says here she's the one that showed the most promise in pursuing a modeling career after high school." Sugawara said with a smile, "Seems like you got lucky, Yamaguchi."

The poor boy couldn't take the sudden news and collapsed from the high heat that had accumulated in his head. "Yamaguchi?!" Sawamura called out to the fallen boy like the caring captain he is. Everyone went to go check on the poor boy as Tanaka began to fan him with the magazine. In doing so, a page seemed to slip out. Asashi took note of it and pointed it out, "I think your magazine is coming apart, Tanaka."

Tanaka stopped fanning the fallen Yamaguchi and looked at the page. It turned out to just be a pull-out spread in the magazine. Hinata and Kageyama looked over their senior's shoulders to look at the spread. The trio's face suddenly turned to that of surprise, "NO WAY!"

Everyone looked towards the three, Yamaguchi weakly lifting his head up as well to get a look of them. Tanaka turned the magazine around to show everyone the spread. Tsukishima's face turned grim as everyone else mirrored the surprised face of the three before them, "NO WAY!"

The spread was the beginning of the "romance section" of this week's issue and there on the spread was none other than Tsukishima and Hotaru during the Gala, Tsukishima's hand atop the petite girl as they avoided eye contact with blushes tinting their cheeks.

"That's Tsukishima isn't it?" Tanaka asked.

Everyone nodded.

"That's Nadeshiko-chan there right?" Hinata asked.

Everyone nodded.

"They're both blushing aren't they?" Kageyama asked.

Everyone nodded.

The entire volleyball club turned their heads towards the boy in question, "Tsukishima did you-" The door closed with a click before any more questions could be asked.


	6. Chapter 5: A Date

Chapter 5: A Date

As the school day was coming to a close, Hotaru went through the class room and made sure everything was in place for the following day. Humming away, her thoughts were interrupted with a knock came from the doorway, "Hotaru-chan~" Hotaru looked up from what she was doing and saw Usagi standing there, "Let's go on a date." She said with a wide smile.

Hotaru giggled at her wording, "I would love to, Usagi-san." She placed the log sheet back into the teacher's desk, grabbed her bag, and made her way out of the school with Usagi. "Oh! I need to message Tadachi and Tsukki first. They wanted me to stop by their volleyball practice."

Usagi pointed towards the gym, "We can just tell them in person if you want. I don't mind."

Hotaru shook her head and waved her hands in protest, "I-I couldn't possibly disturb their volleyball practice for something so trivial. Even though they said I should stop by once all my duties were done, I was just going to watch from the window or something."

Usagi grabbed Hotaru's hand and began to drag her to the gymnasium the men's volleyball team practiced in, "Nonsense! If they invited you then it's perfectly fine for you to barge in!" Usagi looked back towards her underclassman, "Besides, I'm Vice President, they can't say no to me."

Hotaru gave a slight smile, "Isn't that abuse of power?"

"Nonsense~."

As they neared the entrance of the gymnasium they began to hear the squeaks of sneakers and the sound of volleyballs being hit back and forth. Usagi bravely stepped up to the entrance of the gym and, "Tadachiiii, Tsukkiiii~!" She yelled.

Hotaru buried her face in her hands as the entire team stopped what they were doing to look at the two, Yamaguchi and Tsukishima being the most surprised hearing their nicknames being called out by the student council vice president. Sawamura was the first to break the silence as he approached the bold 2nd year, "U-Usagi-san, what brings you to the volleyball club?" He began to recall everything Hinata and Kageyama have done since they officially joined the volleyball club, making sure they didn't cause any sort of trouble.

Usagi laughed, "You can calm yourself, senpai. I'm not here on business." She moved to the side and revealed a beyond embarrassed Hotaru with her face still cradled in her hands as she continued to speak, "We're looking for a Tadachi-kun and Tsukki-kun?"

Hotaru uncovered her eyes as she looked up at Sawamura, "I'm so sorry for this, Sawamura-senpai."

Sawamura laughed a bit as he turned to look at the two boys they were looking for. Tsukishima stood there, massaging the area between his eyes as Yamaguchi stood next to him, unsure of what to do. Usagi looked towards the two boys and smiled. She grabbed Hotaru and held her close, "I'm taking Hotaru-chan on a date, so you don't have to worry about her!" She proclaimed and ran off with Hotaru.

The team continued to stand motionless and speechless.

* * *

Hotaru looked around from her seat across the small table from Usagi. The vice president laughed a bit, "It's a really cute café right?"

Hotaru nodded, "I had no idea there was such a cute café in our town. I always thought we were pretty old fashioned…"

"True, we did have to walk a bit of ways away though." Usagi pointed out, "But the desserts here are worth it I swear."

Their drinks and dessert came out in a timely manner. Hotaru's eyes sparkled with childlike glee, "It's so cute! I don't want to eat it!" She shuffled through her bag and pulled out her camera. Her eyes still sparkling with happiness, she looked up at Usagi and focused her camera, "Smile Usagi-san~."

"H-Hey wa-"

Hotaru snapped the picture and smiled at the candid picture and laughed, "I like candid pictures way better anyways."

Usagi slightly pouted, but smiled as she watched Hotaru contemplate where to begin eating her sugary treat, "You know, you're really cute, Hotaru-chan." Hotaru looked up at her new found friend with her fork still in her mouth and a blush creeping its way onto her cheeks. Usagi laughed, "See? You're way too cute! It's a wonder how you don't have a boyfriend yet when all the guys at school would practically dive head first at a chance to date you."

Hotaru swallowed her food and looked down, her blush intensifying, "I-I don't know about that. When you say all the guys at school I don't know where you get that idea." Usagi look in disbelief at the small girl across from her as she continued to show her air-headedness, "Besides, I'm pretty plain and boring compared to a lot of the girls at school. I mean, I'm nowhere near as cool as you, Usagi-san!"

Usagi blushed at the word _cool_, "I- What makes you think I'm cool?!"

"The way you were able to nonchalantly go up to the gymnasium like you did and call for my friends! I would never be able to do something as bold and cool as that!" Hotaru looked down again, "Which is why I don't think I can be a very good class representative."

Usagi leaned back in her chair and took a sip of her drink, "You don't need to be cool or bold to be a good class representative." Usagi leaned forward again, reached across the table, and pinched Hotaru's cheek, "Besides, I'm sure you can manage the classroom just fine with your cuteness." Hotaru whined as Usagi continued to stretch out her cheek.

* * *

The two girls began to gather their belongings as the café began to close for the day. It had already gotten dark as they had lost track of time as they began talking about themselves. Their middle school life, their brothers, how Leo convinced Usagi to run for Vice President, and all sorts of girl talk.

Girl talk

Hotaru smiled as she fixed her skirt after sitting for a long period of time. All her life she had been with Yamaguchi as basically her only friend, then Tsukishima came along to add to her very short list. She also has her brother at home, so the list of girls her age in her life is practically nonexistent.

They began to make their way to the exit, "Are you going to be okay walking home by yourself, Hotaru-chan? My house is close by here, but yours is pretty far isn't it?"

Hotaru shook her head as they exited the café, "I'll be fine. My home isn't really tha- Tsu-Tsukki?!"

Tsukishima looked up. He had his headphones on, listening to music as he sat on the short fence that was in between the sidewalk and the barren street. He frowned a bit, took his headphones off, and stood up, "Took you two long enough. I don't understand why girls talk for so long."

Hotaru pouted, "No one asked you to wait you know…. How did you know we were here any-"

"Let's go." Tsukishima interrupted as he began to walk away.

"Eh? W-Wait a mi- Tsukki!" Hotaru turned around and quickly bowed to Usagi, "Thank you for treating me out today, Usagi-san. It was fun!" She quickly said and ran to catch up to the giant volleyball player.

Usagi stood there, a bit baffled, "Maybe that's why she doesn't have a boyfriend…" She said to herself. She turned around and headed home.

"Tsukki wait up!" Hotaru cried out as she ran to catch up to the boy. Once she was at his side she began to walk her normal pace, "Wh-What are you doing here?"

"Yamaguchi said that one of us should go wait for you to walk you home since it was dark. I went to the café and he went to the shrine to see if you were home already."

"Why didn't one of you message me?"

"Tch. We did, idiot."

"Eh?!" Hotaru looked into her bag for her phone. She noticed a missed call from Yamaguchi as well as a new message from both of them. "I'm so sorry! My phone was on silent! If I had known I would have told you two that it was fine for me to walk home by myself!"

"It's never okay for you to walk home by yourself, especially the way you are."

"What do you mean the way I am?" Hotaru retorted with a pout.

"You're oblivious and defenseless." Tsukishima replied bluntly. He looked down at her from the corner of his eye, "Plus those short legs can't really get you anywhere anytime fast so isn't it good I'm here to keep you company?" He ended with a cocky grin.

Hotaru's pout grew as they continued to argue back and forth for the rest of the walk home.

* * *

The two arrived at the Takenaka shrine around dinner time. Hotaru began to ascend the long staircase, but shortly turned around, "You should come up for dinner. I'm sure Obaa-chan and Sasori would be happy to see you."

"I shouldn't." Tsukki stated bluntly as he began to put his headphones back on.

"But Tadachi is probably still here. It would be great if the two of you could have dinner with us."

"What makes you think Yamaguchi is still h-"

Their phones simultaneously rang. They both checked the incoming message:

_ Where are you guys at?  
__ Hotaru-chan's grandma is about done preparing the food and  
__ Sasori is complaining about beating me too many times at this game.  
__ Come help please._

Tsukishima looked at the message in slight annoyance as Hotaru's smile grew, "So you'll stay for dinner?"

"Tch." Tsukishima stuffed his phone back into his pocket and rested his headphones back onto his shoulder. He began making his way up towards the Takenaka shrine with Hotaru trailing close behind him. Once they reached the top, Tsukishima put his arm to the side to signal Hotaru to stop walking. Hotaru looked up at him and saw his eyes scanning their surroundings, as if searching for something.

"What's wrong Tsu-"

Suddenly, Tsukishima sharply turned to the right just as a figure jumped from the shadows of the bushes. Tsukishima grabbed Hotaru's wrist and pulled her to safety as the figure struck the ground with a blunt weapon. Tsukishima smirked at the figure's failed attempt at a surprise attack, "You're getting sloppy, old man."

Hotaru sighed, "Ojii-chan, do you really have to greet Tsukki like that every time he comes over?!"

The figure walked into the moonlight to reveal a tall, aged man. His long gray hair pulled back into messy ponytail as he held a straw broom tightly in his right hand. He smirked at Tsukishima, "I expect nothing less from you, Kei. When I greeted Tadashi I was able to hit him right on the head. That boy isn't improving at all."

"Ojii-chan! You hit Tadachi again?!"

Hotaru's grandfather slung the broom on his shoulder and looked to the side, "It's not my fault. I've been doing this for years now and Kei is the only one that's been improving at all."

Hotaru buried her face into her hands, "Ojii-chan…."

"Hey now," A gentle voice called from the house near the shrine. They all looked towards the house entrance and saw Hotaru's grandmother standing there with an apron and ladle, "All three of you come in now. That's enough playing. Tadashi and Sasori have been waiting for you two to arrive."

"Ah! Let me help you with the food, Obaa-chan." Hotaru said as she began to run towards the house, leaving Tsukishima at the mercy of her grandfather's antics.

As if on cue Hotaru's grandfather slung his arm around Tsukishima's shoulder and grinned, "So where did you take my precious granddaughter? I hope you took her out on a good first date."

Tsukishima frowned in annoyance as he began to make his way to the house they used to frequent when they were children, "We didn't go on a date. I was picking her up from a date with another girl."

"Now Kei, you don't have to be embarrassed about it. I knew the day would come when either you or Tadashi would finally realize just how wonderful a lady my granddaughter is." Hotaru's grandfather stuck to Tsukishima like glue as the poor teen removed his shoes at the entrance of the house and put on some house slippers they had lying around, "Why I'm sure she gets it from my precious wife. They're both so kind, diligent, thoughtful, lady-like, and-"

"Ojii-chan! Stop bothering Tsukki!" Hotaru scolded from the entrance of the kitchen. Her grandfather released her precious friend, much to Tsukishima's gratitude. Tsukishima began to make his way into the living room where he found Yamaguchi and Sasori playing a video game from the floor.

"Man Tada-nii, you really suck at this game!"

"You're just really good at it! How many hours to you spend playing it each day?!"

"Yamaguchi, it's really sad that you're losing to a grade school student." Tsukishima stated as he made his way to the couch.

Sasori looked away from the TV screen for a split second as his eyes illuminated with glee, "Kei-nii!" Yamaguchi took this opportunity to land a critical hit combo on Sasori's character. "H-Hey that's not fair Tada-nii!" Sasori cried, staring at the screen proclaiming that Yamaguchi's character was the victor of the match. Sasori pouted and jumped on Yamaguchi's shoulders, "You cheated you cheated you cheated!"

Hotaru was at the entry way of the living room in a matter of seconds adorned in an apron and a rice scoop in her hand, "Hey Sasori! Don't do that to Tadachi!" She scolded. She trotted over, handing the scoop to Tsukishima as she tried to pry her little brother off Yamaguchi, "You're gonna hurt him! You're not that little anymore!"

"But he cheated!"

"It's your fault for being distracted with Tsukki!"

Tsukishima frowned at the site before him, "Sasori, it's not very cool to be a sore loser." At Tsukishima's words, Sasori stopped his whining and allowed his older sister to carry him off of Yamaguchi's shoulders.

Sasori pouted as Hotaru put him down and sighed, "Honestly, I don't understand why Tsukki is the only one you listen to."

Sasori remained silent as he avoided eye contact with his sister. Over the years Sasori has taken a real liking to Tsukishima. For as long as he could remember Yamaguchi and Tsukishima have always been together with Hotaru, and for as long as he can remember Tsukishima has always been the cool big brother he's always wanted. Of course he liked Yamaguchi, but Tsukishima was someone that Sasori really idolizes and wants to be like when he grows older.

For this reason, Tsukishima is the only one Sasori listens to when they're around.

Hotaru slightly frowned as she looked down at her little brother, "Well as long as you apologize to Tadachi I'll let you have some ice cream after dinner."

Sasori's eyes shined a bit at the proposal. He reluctantly turned to Yamaguchi who was trying to fix his hair after the ordeal. With a slightly blush Sasori said, "S-Sorry Tada-nii."

Yamaguchi smiled at the little boy and patted his head, "I could never get mad at you, Sasori." Sasori's blush gained more and more color as he stared down at his feet.

Hotaru went over the Tsukishima and relieved him of the rice scoop, "Well, dinner's ready now. So the three of you go wash your hands and head to the kitchen."

"Yes ma'am~." The three boys answered, all in different tones. Once their hands were washed and cleaned they entered the kitchen only to see the most traditional looking Japanese dinner anyone could think of. Yamaguchi and Tsukishima took a seat on either side of Hotaru who had the rice cooker placed next to her for easy access. The smell of miso soup, fish, and rice filling their nostrils as they scanned the table, taking note of the available food.

"No holding yourselves back now." Hotaru's grandmother said with a smile. Everyone clasped their hands together, said their thanks, and began to eat.

Hotaru's grandfather looked up at the trio with a mischievous grin, "So Kei, you never did tell me where you took my precious granddaughter."

"Ojii-chan!" Hotaru scolded from across the table.

Tsukishima, on the other hand, was unperturbed by her grandfather's accusations and kept his eyes on the food, "I told you, old man, I was picking her up from her date with another girl. The annoying vice president of the student council actually."

Hotaru's grandfather frowned as her grandmother chimed in, "That reminds me, how are your after school activities? I'm sure you two continued with volleyball, yes?"

Yamaguchi nodded, "It's been going very well. We actually had a practice match against our coach's team so he could assess our skill levels."

"Oh that must have been very challenging."

"They had our libero, our ace, and our official setter on their team." Tsukishima pointed out as he reached for more vegetables, "It was practically a given that we would lose." He placed his empty rice bowl down, but Hotaru picked it right back up and filled it with more rice. He turned to her in slight annoyance, "What are you doing? I didn't ask for seconds."

"You two are too skinny!" Hotaru proclaimed as she filled Yamaguchi's bowl as well, "You two need to eat more."

"Hotaru-chan that is way too much rice…" Yamaguchi said as his face turned a bit green, already feeling the uncomfortable feeling of being overly full.

"Tch." Tsukishima vocalized as he reluctantly resumed eating, not wanting to be rude to the grandmother, "You're like an annoying mother."

Hotaru's grandfather looked away in disappointment, "High school students these days are so depressing."


	7. Chapter 6: When it Rains it Pours

Chapter 6: When it Rains it Pours

It was the Wednesday before the Golden Week break and the students were going about their day as normal. Hotaru was walking through the hallways during her lunch break, getting some last minute business done for the homeroom teacher. She looked down at the list of tasks she had to do for the day while walking back to the classroom, _'I'm pretty sure that's everything that needs to be taken care of. All that's left is to clean the classroom after school today and that should be it…'_

Hotaru was so engrossed in her own thoughts that she wasn't paying any attention to where she was going until her bumped into someone, causing her to take a couple steps back, "I-I'm sorry!" She looked up and noticed it was Hinata with a piece of paper in his hand as well. "Oh! Hinata-kun! I'm so sorry!"

"N-N-N-No it's my fault, Nadeshiko-chan!" Hinata quickly said as he repeatedly bowed in apology, "I was trying to make sense of this homework and didn't see you! I'm so sorry! Please forgive me! Don't tell that tall bastard Tsukishima!"

Hotaru put her hands up to try to calm the frantic boy, as they were attracting a bit of attention in the hallways as people passed by. She happened to glance down at the paper Hinata held in his hands, "Oh, is that English homework?"

Hinata straightened himself up, "Y-Yeah it is…"

"If you would like I can help you on the parts that you're unsure of." Hotaru offered with a smile.

Hinata's face lit up with glee at the words which were like music to his ears, "Th-That would be grea-"

**_GROOOOOOOWL_**

He stopped midsentence at the sound as Hotaru's face turned a bright red. She hurriedly turned around and hunched over in an attempt to quell her stomach, "I-I'm sorry! Goodness that was so embarrassing!"

"Could it be you haven't eaten yet, Nadeshiko-chan?"

Hotaru shook her head in embarrassment, "I forgot my lunch this morning. I was going to go buy some bread before the canteen closed after I was done with all my work."

Hinata frowned a bit, but his expression was suddenly brightened by an idea, "I know! You can have half my lunch! You know, as a thank you for helping me!"

"Eh? I couldn't possibly-" Her stomach let out another low grumble. She looked down, her blush intensifying, "If you don't mind…" Hinata grinned and they both began to make their way to class 1. All eyes turned to the two as they entered the classroom. Those who knew Hinata questioning how he was able to become friends with the flower of the first years. Since Hinata's seat was in the front of the classroom, they didn't notice everyone in the room looking at them and whispering amongst themselves.

Hinata laid his lunch box out on his desk right next to the homework he's been having trouble with. The two began to go over the homework Hotaru seemed to have no problem with as they picked at Hinata's lunch. Before they knew it the homework was done, much to Hinata's happiness, "Nadeshiko-chan you're really amazing!" He proclaimed, looking at his homework, "How are you this good in English?!"

Hotaru laughed, "Well my parents travel a lot due to their job, so there was a point in time when I lived in America for a summer. Though I wouldn't really call myself fluent in it, I don't get their slang at all!" The bell ran signaling the end of the students' lunch break. Hotaru got up and smiled down at Hinata, "Thank you for the lunch, Hinata-kun. I hope you understand the assignment a bit better now."

She began to make her way towards the door when Hinata suddenly called out to her, "Nadeshiko-chan, y-you should come by our volleyball practice today!"

Hotaru smiled from the door, "I will some other day, my grandfather needs my help today." She gave a small wave and went on her way.

Hinata pouted slightly and watched the door after she had left. He was brought back from his thoughts as his friend next to him called out to him. Hinata turned to face his friend, but he merely pointed behind the two of them towards a group of boys glaring at Hinata with amazing killing intent. Hinata jumped slightly in his seat and turned back around towards the front, _'Nadeshiko-chan's influence is scary…'_

* * *

Hotaru was home immediately after school, a rare occurrence since she's taken up class representative duties. She was just finishing up sweeping the steps that lead to the Takenaka shrine, adorned in the traditional miko attire. She began to walk back to the top to clear the walk way of stray leaves. As the sun was beginning to set she made sure that there wasn't anything left out by her or her grandfather. It had been a busy few hours cleaning the shrine and making sure everything was in order.

Hotaru paused for a moment and looked towards the steps of the shrine, "I could have sworn I heard yelling…" She mumbled to herself. She dismissed the thought and began to make her way back towards the house. She stopped in her tracks and looked towards the steps one more time, "I know I hear ye-"

As if on cue, Hinata and Kageyama appeared, glaring at each other as they tumbled onto the ground out of breath. Kageyama glared at the short boy, "That makes 30 wins for me, 29 for you and 1 tie."

"No way! It's 30 wins each and one tie!" Hinata argued. He looked up to meet Hotaru's confused gaze. He immediately sprang to his feet as did Kageyama as soon as he realized Hotaru was in their midst, "Na-Na-Nadeshiko-chan! Nadeshiko-chan in miko clothing! Nadeshiko-chan in cute miko clothing!"

The rest of the volleyball team soon came trailing behind them, "I keep telling you two to not run ahead of everyone!" Sawamura scolded as he lightly smacked the two on the head. He looked up and made eye contact with Hotaru, "Ta-Takenaka?!"

Hotaru gave a small wave to the volleyball team as a groan could be heard from the back of the group. "And this is why I was opposed to going to the shrine." Tsukishima mumbled.

Yamaguchi gave a slight laugh, "Sorry to bother you right now, Hotaru, but we thought it'd be a nice gesture to pray for a good training camp and match against Nekoma."

"Hey! How do you two know Nadeshiko-oujosama?!" A rather loud, short boy demanded from the two. He began to yell at Hotaru's beloved childhood friends as a taller boy in a ponytail tried to calm him.

Hotaru turned to Sugawara in concern, but he merely gave her a smile back, "The one yelling at Tsukishima and Yamaguchi is Nishinoya Yu, a 2nd year. If you call him senpai I'm sure he would happily back off of the two. The one next to him is Azumane Asahi, a 3rd year and our ace. He may seem intimidating, but he's nothing but a kitten on the inside." Sugawara laughed, "They took a short break from club activities, but they've returned now, so you'll most likely see more of them."

Hotaru nodded and walked over to them, "E-Excuse me," She squeaked out. The four boys looked at her, Nishinoya finally calming down a bit, "I-I was wondering if you would stop yelling at Tadachi and Tsukki, Nishinoya senpai…"

The entire volleyball team watched as Nishinoya's usual rough exterior melted into the likes of a little boy who had just received a puppy. He patted Hotaru on the head, "I'll do anything for my cute, little (shorter,) kouhai!" He said with a hardy laugh.

_'__He is so predictable…' _The entire volleyball team thought.

Tsukishima suddenly stiffened at the sound of running feet getting closer and closer. He grabbed the back of Yamaguchi's collar and pulled him to the side just as Hotaru's grandfather brought down a broom right where Yamaguchi was standing. The said boy stumbled back onto his butt as Tsukishima smirked at yet another unsuccessful surprise attack by Hotaru's grandfather, "And now you've just embarrassed yourself in front of all these people, old man."

Hotaru's grandfather straitened himself up and walked over to Yamaguchi. He picked him up onto his feet and ruffled his hair, "You can't have Kei saving you like that, Tadashi. You need to be more aware of your surroundings."

"Y-Yes sir." Yamaguchi squeaked out.

Shimizu Kiyoko came trailing behind the team along with the new found coach, Ukai Keishin, and the teacher advisor, Takeda Ittetsu. "Hey, what are you guys doing just standing around? Let's hurry up and get to the lodging before it gets too dark." Ukai ordered. He took notice to the Takenaka duo and gave a slight bow along with Takeda as the students made their way to the prayer building, "It's good to see you again, Takenaka-san."

Hotaru looked up at her grandfather in slight surprise at the fact that the new coach knew him. Her grandfather smiled at the younger man, "It's been a while, Keishin. How is that old geezer doing since he got out of the hospital?"

"He's doing find now, said that you're so cold for not coming to see him while he was hospitalized."

"You two know each other, Ojii-chan?" Hotaru chimed in.

"Keishin's grandfather and I go way back to high school. While he was on the volleyball team I was on the basketball team. He'd always try to recruit me as their, what is it, center block or something like that, but I always turned him down. Soon those recruiting efforts turned into small talk and the rest is history." He smiled down at his granddaughter, "In fact, there was a time he was actually trying to steal your grandmother away from me, but-"

"Dear," A sweet, yet stern voice suddenly came from behind. Hotaru's grandfather stopped immediately at the unmistakable sound of his wife's annoyed voice. He turned to meet her smiling face that covered the raging storm of anger, "You know you're not to talk about the past so frivolously with Hotaru." She looked to the chaperones of the volleyball team, "I also hear you will be hosting a training camp?"

"Ye-Yes ma'am, once the boys are done we will be heading to the lodging to prepare dinner and settle in." Takeda sensei chimed in.

"Is that so…" She thought to herself for a bit and smiled, "Then you should take Hotaru with you! She can cook for the boys so you don't have to waste any time doing so."

"Eh?!" Everyone voiced. Hotaru went up to her grandmother, "O-Obaa-chan, you can't go suggesting stuff like that! I'm sure I'll be more of a burden than a help to them in their training camp!"

"A-Actually," Everyone turned towards the soft spoken manager of the volleyball team, "I think it would be a great help if Takenaka-san could come with us. I'm not very confident in making so much food for a large group…" She said, a blush slightly tinting her pale cheeks.

"I-If the coach doesn't think I'll be a distraction…" Hotaru said as she glanced towards Ukai.

The coach shook his head, "On the contrary, I think you would-"

"Did I hear that right?! We get to have Kiyoko-san AND Nadeshiko-chan's cooking?!" Nishinoya's unmistakable voice came as the boys returned. He and Tanaka looked to the heavens and extended their arms, "You have answered us! Thank you!"

Ukai sighed, "Like I was saying, I think you would actually help boost morale."

* * *

Hotaru and Kiyoko were using the kitchen to its full capacity. Every appliance was in use and they were even chopping up vegetables for a salad. Kiyoko began to make the tea as she struck up a conversation with her new found helper, "Takenaka-san, I live close to here so I won't be sleeping here in the lodging with everyone. Though we can't very well have you being the only girl here." She turned slightly towards Hotaru as the latter looked up from her vegetable cutting. Kiyoko have a slight smile, "You're very welcome to spend the nights at my house if you'd like."

Hotaru's eyes slightly widened, _'I-I-I-Is this what they call a slumber party?!'_

"I-If it's not too much trouble for you and your family then that would be great."

Kiyoko's smile widened ever so slightly as she began to set the table with the food. Hotaru poured the chopped vegetables into three large bowls and placed them on the dining tables. The two girls looked up at each other and smiled at what was going to be a fun turn of events. The peace in the kitchen was suddenly interrupted by the doors being swung open and the gleeful voices of Nishinoya and Tanaka, "Kiyoko-san and Nadeshiko-chan in aprons!"

Sawamura appeared behind them and lightly smacked them with the side of his hands, "You two are too loud," He turned to the rest of the team, "Now Shimizu and Takenaka have prepared a great looking dinner for all of us, so be sure to eat and keep eating!"

"Yes sir!" Everyone responded back and took a seat. Kiyoko and Hotaru took a seat at their own table near the kitchen just in case any of the boys wanted a refill of rice. They didn't mind the slight seclusion though, it gave them time to get to know one another before they had to sleep in the same room.

Yamaguchi glanced at the two girls as they giggled and smiled. Seeing Hotaru enjoy her time with the volleyball team put Yamaguchi at ease and allowed a smile to grace his lips, "Hotaru is really fitting in nicely with the rest of the team, isn't she?"

Tsukishima grabbed another piece of meat off the community plate, "Well that's a given. She is, after all, everyone's-"

"She's Nadeshiko-chan, so of course she would fit in!" Hinata loudly interrupted.

Tsukishima frowned, "Do you have to be so loud at the dinner table?"

"I can't help it, my excitement has got me all…. All…."

"Loud?" Kageyama frowned as well, "As much as I hate to admit it, Tsukishima is right for once."

Tsukishima smirked at Kageyama's remark, "Oh what an honor to be in agreement with the king for once." He cockily sang, "Finally seeing eye to eye with us lowly peasants, I see." Kageyama looked up from his food with a deadly glare as Tsukishima continued to smirk at the angered king. Hinata and Yamaguchi looked back and forth between the two, really hoping they wouldn't start anything during their training camp.

Suddenly, there was a quick flash that disrupted their little stare off. The four boys looked to the side and saw Hotaru smiling with a camera in her hands, "You four need to learn how to smile more and not have such scary faces while you eat." The four boys' faces lost all expression as the happy helper skipped to the other tables and took pictures there as well, their seniors being more enthusiastic and cooperative about it.

"All my fighting spirit just left after seeing her so happy…" Kageyama stated as the other three nodded in agreement.

* * *

Once the boys had finished dinner they all went to go set the rooms up for a good night's rest. Hotaru and Kiyoko stayed behind in the kitchen to clean everything up and make sure that everything was in place to ensure an uneventful breakfast the next day. Afterwards, they said their goodbyes to the team and made their way to Kiyoko's house which was nearby.

After greeting Kiyoko's family and introducing herself, the two girls hit the showers after a long day of school and club activities. Hotaru entered Kiyoko's room with a towel around her neck and her hair dripping with water, "Thank you so much for letting me stay here with you, Shimizu-senpai."

Kiyoko smiled and beckoned her underclassman to take a seat in front of the vanity. Hotaru complied and Kiyoko began to blow dry her hair, "It's no problem at all. Knowing those boys they're probably getting into all sorts of trouble right now for being too loud." She brushed through Hotaru's long, charcoal colored hair, "I also wanted to get to know you more, Takenaka-chan. I'm sure since you're so close to Yamaguchi and Tsukishima we'll be seeing you at our games."

"When is their first official match? It's been a while since I last saw Tadachi and Tsukki play in a match, and Tadachi always speaks so highly of the other players that I'm really excited to see everyone play." Hotaru smiled at the pleasant feeling of having her silky hair brushed and the comforting atmosphere of having another female to talk to. Honestly, when she entered high school she was planning on getting through it with Yamaguchi and Tsukishima the only two at her side, but that number had suddenly and drastically increased.

"They begin next month, so they still have time to practice and improve even more," Kiyoko placed the brush on the vanity as she smiled at Hotaru through the mirror, "The three of you are so close that it's really heartwarming. Especially with the type of personality Tsukishima has."

They began to get the extra futon laid out next to Kiyoko's bed. Hotaru laughed as she got on top and began to pat it down a bit, "Tsukki is fairly tough to get along with. He's always been like that, but," She plopped down onto the futon and snuggled underneath the blankets as Kiyoko leaned over to turn off the light on the night stand, "he's still a really great guy. He pulls through when he needs to, he's smart and helps me with my homework, and he and Tadachi always walk me home when it's dark… Tsukki isn't a bad guy once you get through his rough exterior." Hotaru said with a fond smile.

Kiyoko stared down at Hotaru as she laid in bed with the blankets tightly around her, "I'm sorry if this offends you in any way, but have you ever thought about being more than friends with either one of them?"

"E-Eh?!" Hotaru squeaked as she sat up, her face burning from the blood rush, "N-Never! My grandparents do always joke about it, bu-but I never…" She clasped her face in her hands as more blood rushed to her cheeks from embarrassment, "To tell you the truth when we were little I told Tadachi that we were going to get married when we grew older, but of course he turned me down being too embarrassed to know how to handle the situation." Her blush dimmed a bit as she let out a small laugh, "I remember crying for hours until Tsukki dragged Tadachi to the shrine so we can play like it was an uneventful day. It was then I realized that I didn't want to mess with our trio."

Kiyoko giggled, "I never knew a young Takenaka-san was so bold as to ask Yamaguchi's hand in marriage. What did Tsukishima say about the incident?"

Hotaru situated herself back into the comfort of the blankets and smiled back up at Kiyoko, "He called me pathetic and patted my head like he always does…"

* * *

It was finally the day before the Nekoma match and Kiyoko and Hotaru were spending the day washing, pressing, and folding the uniforms for the volleyball team. They began to check each individual uniform as they dried on the line. "Thank you, Takenaka-san." Hotaru leaned to the side to clear her line of sight so she can meet Kiyoko's smiling face, "The past few days have been really fun and you've been such a big help that I really appreciate it."

Hotaru smiled back, "It's been my pleasure. Honestly if I wasn't here I don't know what I'd be doing right now." They began to unclip the dry uniforms from the clothes lines and fold them, "Also, it's been really fun to get to know you, Shimizu senpai."

They picked up the bags that held the clean uniforms and began to make their way back to the gymnasium, "You know, it's fine if you call me Kiyoko." The elder of the two girls stated with a slight blush, "Don't think of me as your senior, but as a friend, Hotaru-chan."

Hotaru looked up at Kiyoko with a beaming smile, "I'd like that, Kiyoko-chan."

The tender moment was interrupted by soft sobbing near the gymnasium door. The two girls turned their attention to that direction only to see Nishinoya and Tanaka standing there with tears in their eyes, "Friendship amongst girls is a beautiful thing, isn't it Ryu?"

"It really is, Noya!"

"RYU!"

"NOYA-SAN!" The two cried as they embraced each other in tears.

Shimizu walked past them showing no sign of interest as Hotaru hesitantly followed. They approached Coach Ukai and Takeda sensei, "Sensei," Shimizu interrupted their focus on the practice for just a moment, "The uniforms are ready."

Takeda sensei smiled, "That's great! Everyone, stop practice for a moment and come here." He called. Everyone turned their attention towards the two girls as they began to remove the uniforms from the bags and distribute them amongst the players.

Hinata held his #10 jersey up with sparkles filling his eyes, "I-It's the jersey I saw on the TV!" He looked around at everyone else as they received their jerseys as well. His eyes fell on Kageyama's #9 jersey, then returned to his jersey, "Ka-Kageyama is one number higher than me!" He cried in dismay.

Everyone smirked, _'Why am I not surprised?'_

"Guess you don't recognize that jersey since you only saw it once a few years back," Sawamura said with a smile, "The jersey that the Little Giant wore when Karasuno went to nationals, was #10."

Hinata looked at his jersey with renewed wonder as his ambition to become someone worthy of an ace became stronger. Hotaru smiled at the childlike boy, "Hinata-kun really idolizes this Little Giant, doesn't he?" She smiled up at Tsukishima as he continued to inspect his uniform, "It kind of reminds me of when we were little and you used to want to become like your brother."

"What did I tell you about bringing up the past so nonchalantly?" Tsukishima said, slightly irritated that Hotaru brought up something that he'd rather have buried in his memories, especially memories about his brother's volleyball experience at Karasuno high school.

Ukai clapped his hands together to break through the chatter, "Alright boys, back to practice. If you all want to become the first Karasuno team to defeat Nekoma, you're going to have to practice hard and practice long!"

The boys answer obediently with a loud and unified, "Yes sir" and took their positions once again.

* * *

The team returned to the lodging to wind down for the day as the two girls prepared their dinner. They were able to hear the loud footsteps of the boys above them as they ran through the rooms of the second floor. Kiyoko giggled at the nonstop beating, "It must be Hinata and Kageyama racing to see who can lay out futons faster."

"Those two really push each other to get better don't they?"

"Not only that, but I believe that they empower one another as is already." Kiyoko began to lay everything out on the tables, "Our freak freshmen duo will only become stronger as the days go by and the more they practice."

"Seeing those two push each other is really inspiring," Hotaru smiled as she began to boil the water for the tea, "I think Tadachi aspires to become someone Tsukki can see as an equal in volleyball, but Tsukki is just so uninspired by everything it's really a one sided thing."

"Is there any reason Tsukishima plays volleyball even though he's not really passionate about it?"

"Well you see-" The doors to the dining hall were swung open as Hinata and Kageyama raced in and took their seats. The other players slowly filed in at a normal pace as the two freshmen began to argue who got to their seat first. Hotaru and Kiyoko brought the tea over to the tables as they joined the boys at the table for their last night of the training camp. Hotaru sat with the first years, marveling at how quickly Hinata and Kageyama can eat their food and even ask for seconds and thirds!

"You two should take after Hinata-kun and Kageyama-kun." Hotaru stated towards her two friends as she placed the freak duo's next helping of rice in front of them, "You two don't eat enough."

"That's right!" Nishinoya proclaimed as she slid over from the second years' table with his bowl still in hand, "How will you two gain any muscle if you don't eat! Yamaguchi you eat too slow!"

"Yamaguchi are you gonna eat that?" Hinata asked as he picked a piece of meat off of Yamaguchi's plate before waiting for the answer.

"Shoyo!" Nishinoya scolded, "Let Yamaguchi eat his own food! Yamaguchi! Don't let other people take your food so easily! This is the precious food Kiyoko-san and Nadeshiko-chan made for all of us and you need to treasure it!"

The rest of dinner went by as normal other than the tiny second year scolding his underclassmen about respecting a woman's cooking. Once everyone was finished eating the two girls began to clean the kitchen and make sure everything was in place for the last breakfast of the training camp. Once they were done with the preparations, they began to make their way towards the entrance of the lodging as the second years were coming down for their bath and the third years were coming out.

"Heading out for the night, Shimizu, Takenaka?" Sawamura asked, sliding his towel from his head onto his shoulders.

Shimizu nodded, "We'll be back to prepare breakfast for you all in the morning before the match."

Hotaru opened the door only for everyone to be met with a strong gust of cold, cold wind with a bit of moisture mixed into it. The two girls peeked out only to see a downpour of rain before them. "Well this isn't good."

"Doesn't seem like we can make it back to my place in this weather…" Shimizu quietly said as a loud clap of thunder rang through the sky. Slightly annoyed by the sudden turn of events, she adjusted her glasses and slowly turned back around to face the boys. She was met by the stoic faces of Tanaka and Nishinoya as they began to process the situation in their heads. They nearly passed out at the sudden realization:

The two girls were to spend the night under the same roof.

* * *

**_[[Aero's Afterthought]]_**  
Please look forward to the next chapter!  
It'll consist of the Nekoma match and hopefully some gross shoujo moments. (/w)/


	8. Chapter 7: Wake Up, Piggy

Chapter 7: Wake up, Piggy

Shimizu and Hotaru began to lay out the futons in the spare room that the two were going to share for the rainy night. The older of the two sighed, grabbed two pillows, and forcibly threw them towards the entry way, "Please get ready for bed you two, you'll need it for tomorrow's match."

Hotaru was a bit surprised at the sudden action, but turned around to see the pillows slide down the faces of Nishinoya and Tanaka to reveal their gleeful expressions. They walked away happily, mumbling to themselves about the fact that Shimizu was able to sense their presence. Shimizu stood up and gathered some spare clothes Sawamura rounded up from the boys for the girls to wear for the night, "Let's go bathe, Hotaru-chan."

Hotaru nodded and the two made their way downstairs to where the women's bath was located.

"Give my glasses back!"

"But you looks so weird without them! I need to get my phone upstairs so I can take a picture for blackmail!"

"Don't you even dare think about running away wi- HEY!"

After Tsukishima's loud protest the door to the men's bath swung open and a very naked, wet, sudsy Hinata ran out with Tsukishima's glasses in his hand, "Don't worry I'll give them back after I-" He stopped midsentence and midstep once he noticed the two girls in front of him.

Tsukishima soon followed behind him, hair still wet with shampoo suds and a short towel around his waist since he knew better than to run out naked. "Hinata you better-" He stopped for a moment once he noticed the two girls as well.

Hotaru's face quickly heated up as she slowly made her way behind her stoic senior to block her vision. The two freshmen stared at their beautiful senior for a moment, but began to move steadily. Hinata gave Tsukishima his glasses back as the two began to make their way back into the men's bath with their heads down low. Once out of site crashes from inside the bath could be heard as well as Hinata's screams of anguish.

Shimizu looked back a bit to her flustered underclassman, "Did you see anything, Hotaru-chan?"

Hotaru nodded.

"Are you okay?"

Hotaru shook her head.

"Do you want to take a nice relaxing bath with tons of bubbles?"

Hotaru nodded and the two briskly walked past the men's bath and into the women's bath. Shimizu made a mental note to inform Sawamura what had just happened.

* * *

Hinata sighed as he pressed a button for a drink from the vending machine, "I can't believe that happened…" He sighed recalling the events that happened just moments ago. Once he and Tsukishima made it back into the bath room, the taller of the two grabbed the closest objects he could reach and proceeded to throw them all at the short middle blocker.

"Either way I see it it's your fault." Kageyama said from the small seating area, sipping on his own milk carton.

"Tch." Tsukishima voiced from his seat, also sipping from his own strawberry milk carton, "Of course it was his fault. I don't see why you're so fascinated by how I look without my glasses."

"It was because I thought your eyes would disappear or something, but instead you just looked weirder and meaner."

"Meaner?!"

Yamaguchi chimed in from his seat, "When you have your glasses off, you squint more and so it looks like you're glaring all the time."

Kageyama scoffed, "Either way your face isn't a pleasant one to look at."

"I don't think I should be hearing that from you, King." Tsukishima retorted, "Your smile isn't exactly welcoming."

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop with the King shi-"

"You four should head off to bed soon." The four freshmen visibly jumped at the intrusion of a fifth voice. They all turned to meet the stoic gaze of their manager, fresh out of the bath. She adjusted her glasses as they began to slip off her nose which was still moist from her bath, "You have a practice match tomorrow so you'll be getting up earlier to eat breakfast and to warm up. I suggest you start getting ready for bed." She suggested as she made her way towards the stairs.

The four freshmen all chimed a "Yes ma'am" together as they got up to throw their empty drinks away. As Hinata lingered near the trashcan his gaze perked up to a sudden noise that came from down the dark hall. Frightening thoughts quickly flowed into his over imaginative mind, "H-Hey, do you guys hear that?"

The other three looked up lazily at the dark hallways, only to find nothing there. "Tch," Tsukishima scoffed as he began to make his ways towards the stairs, "I didn't know you were such a scaredy cat when it came to the dark, Hinata."

"Tha-That's not it, Tsukishima!" Hinata defended. He glared at the three as they walked closer and closer to the stairs, but another footstep could be heard coming from the depths of the hallways. The orange haired middle blockers frantically turned around, "G-G-Guys!"

The other three turned around, unsure if they wanted to entertain the idea coming from their frantic teammate. Kageyama was the first to speak up, "Hinata, if you yell like that you're going to wake the upperclass-"

The footsteps grew louder.

Everyone stiffened.

"H-Hey, wh-what is that…" Yamaguchi whispered as the four freshman instinctively huddled together for protection.

The footsteps grew louder.

"It's probably just one of the upperclassmen…" Tsukishima calmly stated.

The footsteps grew louder.

"But aren't they all up stairs?!" Hinata panicked.

The footsteps grew louder.

"I'm sure one of them just came down to take a piss."

"So crude, Kageyama!"

The footsteps stopped.

The four jumped at once at the sudden silence. All eyes were glued on the darkness of the hallway as a figure slowly emerged. Pale feet were the first to be seen followed by the ghostly hem of a plain, white dress resting just above pale knees. Long, wet, black hair clung against the white dress as the figure emerged completely, revealing a head of black hair similar to that of many horror films.

Their eyes widened as Hinata let out a scream of pure terror, clinging onto an equally terrified Yamaguchi, Kageyama was suddenly on top of the vending machine, and Tsukishima remained silent with wide eyes gazing at the emerging figure. Tsukishima regained his composure and slightly adjusted his glasses, "Wa-Wait a min-"

"Why are you all yelling?" A concerned voice came.

Everyone resumed their original positions and squinted into the darkness. The once ghostly figure stepped forward only to reveal a very concerned Hotaru fresh out of the bath. "Na-Nadeshiko-chan?!"

Kageyama punched Hinata's head, his anger and annoyance needing to be released, "What the hell, Hinata idiot?! Getting us all worked up for nothing!"

"Bu-But why aren't you wearing any slippers?" Hinata began to defend his reasoning, "A-And that dress that looks so close to what ghosts wear, and your hair!"

Hotaru blushed a bit at her unruly look, "There was only one pair of slipper in the women's bathe so I let Kiyoko-chan take it. As for this dress, it's one of Tsukki's shirts that Sawamura senpai borrowed for Kiyoko-chan and me…" She looked down, taking in the length of the shirt, "I guess it does kind of look like a dress on me." She said with a slight laugh.

The four boys let out long sighs of relief, they shoulders dropping as they released the tension they all held. However, that fear reentered their spirits as they sensed a menacing presence behind them.

"You guys," A very angry Sawamura growled out, "HURRY UP AND GET TO BED!"

The five first years hurriedly made their way back upstairs. Hotaru turned around and smiled at the boys before they entered their room, "Well, good night. I hope I didn't scare you too badly so you can get a good night's rest before the match."

Hinata and Kageyama's hearts fluttered at her radiant smile, completely forgetting about the scare she had given them earlier. They both chimed a stern, "Yes ma'am!" as if they were obeying an order and made their way into the room. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi peaked into the room and saw the idiot duo already sound asleep, "They're really a couple of simple minded idiots, aren't they?"

"I think that's just Hotaru's influence…"

* * *

The next morning Kiyoko and Hotaru woke up early to prepare the boys a hardy breakfast to get them through the practice match. Bending down to take a look in the fridge, Kiyoko frowned, "Hotaru-chan," She called, "Do you mind running to the convenience store real quick to buy a couple cartons of milk and eggs? I don't think this will be enough for what we had in mind."

Hotaru shook her head with a smile, "I don't mind at all." She untied the apron, placed it on the counter, slipped on Kiyoko's manager jersey and made her way towards the entrance of the lodging. It was a beautiful day, the air still a bit humid from last night's storm, but seeing the shining sun and chirping birds made the presence of the storm forgotten. She managed to make it to the convenience store without any trouble and found the milk and eggs in the same fashion. Since it was fairly early in the morning, the quaint store was barren when it came to customers.

Once Hotaru had what she needed she went over to the cashier and stood behind the only other customer they had. As she stood in line in silence she noticed the boy in front of her begin to frantically search through his pants pockets. The impatient and cranky young adult behind the counter groaned, "If you don't have money to pay for your stuff get lost."

The boy looked down a bit dejected, the blonde half of his hair falling down to cover his face. Hotaru stepped up, "I don't mind paying for his things." She looked down back at the counter and saw it was only a cup of instant ramen and a sports drink. She frowned slightly, her maternal side taking over for a split second, _'That's not a very good breakfast at all.'_ None the less, she paid for his things with her own pocket money and used the money from the club to pay for the milk and eggs.

Once the two were outside the boy, a bit squeamishly, said as he avoided eye contact, "Th-Thank you for paying for my things."

Hotaru flashed her signature, heart melting smile, "It was not problem at all. Though if that's your breakfast I fear for your health."

"The hotel that I'm staying at doesn't have any breakfast items I really like…"

"Oh you're from out of town? Where are you from?"

"… Tokyo."

"Our tiny town must be so boring compared to Tokyo. I visit sometimes when my parents need to go for a business trip, it's a really beautiful city." Hotaru giggled a bit, "Well if you need any help I'm staying at the lodging just down the road from here, just ask for Hotaru."

The boy looked at her very quickly, then averted his eyes again, "Kozume Kenma."

Hotaru's smiled widened, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kozume-kun."

"Just Kenma is fine..." He paused for a moment and rummaged through his jersey pocket for a paper and pen. He scribbled some information down and handed it to Hotaru, "…. If you're ever in Tokyo I'll return the favor for today… if you'd like…"

Hotaru took the piece of paper with his email and phone number and smiled, "I'd like that, Kenma-kun," She turned around and began to make her way back to the lodging, "I hope you enjoy your stay here and maybe our paths will cross again! Maybe in Tokyo!" She walked slowly down the road away from her new found friend. Kenma's eyes made their way onto her back, reading the letters on the black jersey she had borrowed from Kiyoko. He grinned a bit and began to make his way to his hotel.

* * *

Once everyone was packed and ready to go, they all began to make their way to the gymnasium where The Battle at the Garbage Dump was going to take place. As they arrived at the location, they saw the unfamiliar red jerseys of the Nekoma team entering the building. Hinata vocalized a bit of surprise and broke away from the team, running to catch up to a familiar player as Sawamura went ahead of the team to go great the Nekoma captain inside.

Kiyoko shot her gaze downward a bit towards Hotaru, who was happily humming and smiling next to her. "You look very happy today."

"Well it's the first time since we entered high school that I get to see Tadachi and Tsukki play!" Hotaru's smile widened even more, "I'm also really excited to see the rest of the team play as well." They continued to make their way towards the gymnasium entrance where Hotaru saw Tanaka trying to intimidate the other team, Sugawara calming Tanaka down, and Hinata talking to a very familiar boy.

Hotaru's face brightened up with happiness at the familiar face. She broke away from Kiyoko and ran over to Hinata and, "Kenma-kun!" She called cheerfully. The boys that had gathered around the opening looked towards her direction as she approached them. She smiled at the quite Nekoma setter, "You didn't tell me you were part of Nekoma. You should have told me since I was wearing Kiyoko-chan's Karasuno jersey."

Kenma scratched the back of his head a bit, "Well I didn't really see the point since we were going to see each other anyways a few hours later…"

"I guess that's true…"

Suddenly, the two were brought back by their hot blooded seniors. Nekoma's Taketora leaning down and whispering in Kenma's ear, "Hey, where did you meet s-such a cutie?! How can you not tell any of us? Get her to introduce me to the other beautiful girl." Meanwhile, Karasuno's Tanaka stood in front of their precious flower, protecting her from what he thought were vicious cats. A shorter boy pushed the two Nekoma players into the gymnasium as Tanaka followed them to make sure they don't try anything on Karasuno's precious manager and flower.

Yamaguchi and Tsukishima walked up behind Hotaru, "How did you know him?" Yamaguchi asked.

"Oh, I met him by chance this morning at the convenience store. He's really soft spoken, but Kenma-kun is friendly." She said with a smile.

"Already calling him by his first name I see." Tsukishima smugly voiced.

Hotaru blushed a bit, much to Tsukishima's unexpected annoyance and surprise, "W-Well he-"

"Hotaru-chan, do you mind helping me?" Kiyoko called from inside the gymnasium.

Hotaru quickly made her way to lend Kiyoko a hand, leaving her two friends to imagine what could have caused her sudden closeness to the Nekoma setter. Yamaguchi looked towards Tsukishima, "It's not like to you to take interest in Hotaru calling someone by their first name." He stated, noticing his friend's slight annoyance at Hotaru's embarrassed demeanor.

Tsukishima briskly walked away in his usual manner, "I couldn't care less as to who Takenaka is friends with."

Yamaguchi frowned at Tsukishima's rather cold statement, but followed his friend inside the gymnasium nonetheless. Over the years he's always been the one to look at his two friends' relationship from a different stand point and has begun to see things more clearly than other people or even Hotaru and Tsukishima themselves.

* * *

Hotaru found her way to the stands to watch from above since she wasn't allowed to be down below with the team since she was only a spectator and not an actual manager to the team. She watched as the team met with Coach Ukai for a defense plan to start the match, her excitement beginning to rise along with her happiness of seeing her best friends play again. She heard people enter the stands from the side and turned to see two men come in.

"Oh, I wasn't expecting anyone else to be here." The blonde of the two voiced.

"Maybe she's Nekoma's second manager…" The other wondered.

Hotaru smiled and shook her head, "I'm here to cheer on Karasuno. My name is Takenaka Hotaru, pleased to meet you."

"Ah, you're the family that owns the shrine." The blonde said and introduced himself, "I'm Takinoue Yusuke. I used to be a part of the Karasuno volleyball team back in the day along with their coach."

"I'm Shimada Makoto, I was part of the team back in the day too. How do you know the team? Are you a manager in training?"

"Oh no nothing like that." Hotaru laughed, "I was helping with the training camp through the week, but I'm not a manager or anything. I'm a close friend of number 11 and number 12 down there."

The referee blew the whistle signaling the start of the match. Hotaru's expression noticeably perked up as she watched as everyone get into place with a huge grin plastered on her face.

"You seem rather happy." Shimada pointed out.

"Well this is the first time in a long time I'll get to see my friends play." Hotaru said, never taking her eyes off the court, but a small pout came upon her face, "Neither one of them is on the court though…"

"That's because they're receiving first," Takinoue explained, "When they're on the receiving end the libero takes the place of one of the middle blockers, in this case number 10 or 12."

"I se-" Before Hotaru could even finish, Kageyama sent an incredibly fast and accurate pass to Hinata who spiked it with ease, winning them the first point. Hotaru's mouth dropped slightly at the incredible play that just happened. She had heard Kiyoko talk about Kageyama and Hinata's incredible spike, but this was the first time she had witnessed it firsthand. Indeed it lived up to the hype.

Eventually Nekoma had to call a time out.

"Seems like those boys are doing pretty well." Takinoue thought out loud.

Hotaru squatted down a bit, rested her chin on top of the railing, and pouted, "I'm really happy that Tsukki is playing, but I want Tadachi to play too…"

"It can't be helped." Shimada said, "Only the strongest 6 can stand on the court."

Hotaru looked up at the bespectacled man, getting the feeling that he was speaking from experience. Her attention returned to the court where Karasuno was up to serve. _'Only the strong he says, but Tsukki isn't that strong. Or at least I didn't think he was that physically strong. He is tall and smart, but he's too skinny to be super strong.'_ Kageyama had set the ball perfectly to Tsukishima who took the opportunity to hit it with all his might. Hotaru's eyes widened at bit, surprised at the force the ball had when it hit the ground. It was, after all, the first time she had seen him play ever since their middle school days. _'but Tsukki doesn't look that strong…'_

Her mind was suddenly filled with images of the previous night. The memory of a naked and flustered Hinata was blurred out and more focused on Tsukishima behind him. The towel sloppily wrapped around his waist to cover his private parts, but not doing much to cover the abs that were slowly forming from the many years of volleyball practice. His slightly toned arms holding up the wet towel as his short hair clung to his embarrassed face.

Hotaru mentally slapped herself as she looked down to hide her embarrassed face from everyone, _'Wh-Why would I suddenly remember that?!'_ She peaked up a bit to catch a glimpse of the match as Nishinoya and Tsukishima switched out, the latter of the two taking a quick drink as he stayed focused on the match. He paused and glanced up towards the stands, feeling Hotaru's gaze. She instinctively ducked down further towards the ground to hide herself from Tsukishima's sight.

"What are you doing?" Takinoue asked.

"I… I'm not sure myself…"

She looked back as Tsukishima returned to the court, the heat in her cheeks growing warmer and warmer, _'When did Tsukki grow up so much…?'_

The three spectators continued to watch as the match progressed. Later into the set it seemed as if Karasuno had hit a wall. Mainly speaking, the freak freshmen duo. It seemed like one of Nekoma's players has gotten used to Hinata's speed and erratic movements, completely sealing Kageyama and Hinata's god-like toss and spike. Since Nekoma showed no sign of letting up and Karasuno showed no sign of backing down from a direct challenge, Hinata was once again blocked, handing the first set victory to Nekoma.

The players took the court to start the second set. Hotaru was slightly surprised to see Hinata take the court as well, "Coach Ukai is letting Hinata-kun continue?"

"If this was an official match I feel Ukai would have pulled him out by now." Takinoue said, "But since this is just a practice match he's seeing if #10 can overcome this."

"Since this is just a practice match," Shimada supported, "There will be other teams in official matches that can most certainly keep up with his movements. If he can't overcome it here, he won't be much use in official matches."

Hotaru hummed in understanding as she returned her attention back to the match. She watched as Hinata failed time and again to hit the new toss Kageyama set to him. Her eyes would brighten with hope every time a toss went to Hinata, in hopes that this would be the spike that would be the first in many more to come. Hinata, yet again, was barely able to get the ball over the net. Though Karasuno's ultimate decoy wasn't working at 100%, the other members of the team were doing a fantastic job in backing him up to make sure they don't needlessly lose any points. This continued until finally Hinata began to hit the tosses with more power and accuracy.

The match was going in Nekoma's favor and they were the first ones to eventually get to 20 points. Coach Ukai stood up and loudly proclaimed, "We may be a bit rough around the edges, but use that as your weapon! Attack, attack, and attack! Wield your weapons with pride!"

Spike after spike, the tenacious crows slowly began to catch up to the sly cats. Though their attacks seemed futile, they continued their assault on Nekoma's strong defense, all in vain. Hotaru pouted seeing the final score: Karasuno 23 Nekoma 25. She knew the boys played their hardest and to the best of their abilities, but the pang of disappointment couldn't be overlooked. It was, after all, the first time in a long time she had gotten to see her dear friend play and the first time she got to see the team play at all.

Looking down, she was able to see everyone's look of disappointment as well, except for Hinata who looked up sternly at the other team, "Let's play one more!" He proclaimed more than he asked.

Everyone looked at him in disbelief. Hinata was probably the one out of everyone who had been running around the most, yet he still wants to continue playing? Just how endless is his stamina? Out of all the looks of disbelief came Nekomata sensei's smile and laughter, "I'd like that. That's what practice matches are for after all." Hinata's face gleamed with happiness as the two teams got back into place to start another match.

* * *

Again and again they played until the light of the sunset began to spill into the gymnasium. By this time everyone was exhausted, all except for, "One more match!" Hinata yelled, not wanting the day to end in a complete defeat for Karasuno.

Coach Ukai strung him up by the back of his collar and scolded, "That's enough! They need to catch the train back to Tokyo!"

Hinata stopped struggling and everyone circled the opposite coach to receive some advice. Afterwards, the two teams began to clean the gymnasium, each member slightly bonding with their new found rival. Takinoue and Shimada smiled at the nostalgic scene of young rivalry, "Really brings you back doesn't it?" Shimada voiced.

"Yeah." Takinoue stretched, "Well we should head out. It was a pleasure to watch the matches with you Hota-" The two gentlemen looked back and saw Hotaru asleep on one of the chairs, her head resting on the back rest of the seat. They stifled a laugh, somewhat unsure what to do in this situation. Takinoue looked over the railings of the stands and yelled, "Hey #11 or #12! Hotaru is sleeping up here so one of you should come get her!"

Nishinoya and Tanaka were visibly fired up at the thought of seeing Hotaru's sleeping face, but Daichi caught them by the back of their jerseys before they could make a dash for the stairs. He looked towards Tsukishima and motioned for him to go check on Hotaru since Yamaguchi was assisting with putting away the net. Tsukishima frowned, but made his way towards the stairs nonetheless. After all, he was used to being Hotaru's babysitter.

On his way up the stairs towards the stands he passed by the two Karasuno alumni. The three of them gave a slight nod to each other before continuing on their way. Tsukishima arrived where Hotaru was peacefully slumbering like a defenseless idiot. He felt his frown deepening. Though he knew Takinoue and Shimada were good people, he didn't like the fact that Hotaru was able to let her guard down so easily around two men she had just met.

Tsukishima mentally paused at the thoughts he was having, _'Tch. Why the hell do I care?'_ He approached Hotaru and shook her leg with his foot, not even putting the extra effort of taking his hands out of his pockets, bending down, and shaking her in a more peaceful manner. Hotaru grumbled a bit, but she didn't awaken. Tsukishima frowned, _'This idiot girl…'_

A slight smirk played across his lips as he bent down and whispered in her ear, "Hey, wake up, Butaru."

Hotaru's eyes immediately snapped open, she sat up, and glared up at her tall friend, "Don't call me that."

Tsukishima smirked, turned around, and headed towards the stairs, "Let's go, Takenaka."

Hotaru pouted at Tsukishima's nonchalant manner. He knew she hated being called her old nickname. It's a well-kept secret between the three that Hotaru used to be a chubby child back during their elementary days. Tsukishima would often tease her back in childhood about her weight, calling her _Butaru_, "buta" meaning "pig." During their last year of elementary school, Hotaru's metabolism began to kick in and she began to naturally slim down. Looking back on some childhood pictures, she saw how chubby she was and demanded Yamaguchi and Tsukishima to keep it a secret, ending Tsukishima's Butaru nickname.

Though it does rear its ugly head from time to time much to Hotaru's distress. She followed Tsukishima down the stairs back towards the court where everyone was cleaning up. "You now I hate it when you call me that, Tsukki! What if someone heard you?" Hotaru complained.

"It's fine isn't it? There was no on up there with us so there's no way anyone would have heard." Tsukishima nonchalantly stated.

Hotaru pouted, but her eyes began to wander, examining Tsukishima's back, _'Were his shoulders always this broad?'_ Her mind reeled back to Tsukishima's first encounter with Leo as he pulled her back into his chest, _'His chest was really hard and well-built too…'_ The temperature in her cheeks rose higher as images of the previous night flashed into her head yet again, _'Hotaru stop it stop it stop it!'_ She scolded herself, covering her face to hide her embarrassment.

"Hey." Hotaru paused and peaked out through her fingers only to make straight eye contact with Tsukishima. "What are you doing walking down the stairs with your hands over your face? You'll trip and fall, idiot."

"No-Nothing at all!" She said. She frantically made her way down the last two steps and ran past Tsukishima, "I-I'm going to go find Kiyoko-chan and see if she needs help."

A puzzled look washed over Tsukishima's face as he watched his tiny friend disappear from sight, "What's gotten into her…?"

Hotaru ran outside, her face still burning from her earlier thoughts, _'What's gotten into me..?'_


End file.
